Facade
by DarkColdSummer
Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc
1. Ch1: Philotes and Friendship

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

A scream echoed along the hallways of the Argo II. Other crew members woke up almost instantly and rushed over to the source of the screaming. A blonde haired girl was kicking and screaming and yelling and by the time the others got there, the raven haired son of Poseidon was already sitting beside her, calming and coaxing and whispering sweet nothings to her.

Annabeth by then had woken up and began to calm herself down slowly.

It had been a few days since she and Percy had escaped the grasps of Tartarus and Annabeth had been having nightly nightmares, so much that Percy had requested to sleep on the floor in her room beside her bed just so that he could calm her easily. Not because they were in a relationship or anything, only because he was the only one who knew exactly what she went through in hell, aside from being her self-proclaimed brother in spite of all the Athena-Poseidon rivalry.

On a completely unrelated side note, Annabeth found it suspicious that Percy didn't have any, yet she took it all in stride, dismissing it as him being more strong willed than she was.

The rest of the crew would instantly rush to the scene and place a hand somewhere on Annabeth's shoulders, lower legs, arms, wherever she felt comfortable, to reassure her that they were all still there, still alive, and she was out of there. No one dared call Tartarus by his true name while any of the three survivors of hell were present. Hades, they didn't even dare to do it when they weren't. Names held power after all.

So our story begins here, just another night of sleep interrupted by screaming and nightmares.

As per usual, Annabeth screamed due to her nightmares.

As per usual, everyone on board the Argo II woke up at the ungodly hour.

As per usual, Percy was already seated by her side by the time the others got there, giving her brotherly comfort.

As per usual, the rest of the crew members of the Argo II laid a hand on Annabeth, giving her support, an anchor.

As per usual, Annabeth woke up and calmed down.

As per usual, everyone nearly fell asleep in the same room, in a tangle of limbs.

Not as per usual, Reyna was missing, not like many noticed at that point of time at night.

Not as per usual, Thalia was on board the ship, wandering around and confused.

Not as per usual, two goddesses, a god and a spirit personification were plotting, sorry planning, together, preparing another plan (that had the potential to go so wrong).

Not as per usual, before the Seven plus Nico could fall asleep by Annabeth's side, two flashes of light startled the group awake.

Hera, looking as regal as ever with her long black hair and large soft brown eyes, a cloak of peacock feathers draped over her, along with a golden lotus-topped staff in her hand. stood there. Beside Hera stood a lady with dark brown hair and too many decorative rose wreaths on her head, her black-brown eyes glowing warmly.

"Lady Hera," the demigods bowed briefly.

Hera and the mysterious lady were busy staring down everyone when Thalia walked in.

"Hey guys!" Thalia smiled, waving hello.

"Pinecone face!" Percy and Nico exclaimed, standing and running up to greet her, any thoughts about the two ladies gone.

"Nice to see you two idiots again," she smirked. "Now someone do the introductions?"

"Those can wait," the mysterious lady cut in.

"Yes, they definitely can," a voice sounded drily, an Iris Message opening up.

"Reyna!" Jason exclaimed. "Where are you?"

"Camp Half-Blood, for some reason. I fell asleep on the Argo and woke up here. You all be glad that its the Greek camp, so I was able to find someone to help me IM you, unlike if I was in Camp Jupiter," Reyna replied. "Now, how did I get here?"

"Yes, someone also care to tell me why and how I'm here instead of hunting with the rest of the Hunters?" Thalia demanded.

"It was our doing," Hera said, stepping into the conversation.

"'Our'?" Frank questioned, unconsciously drawing Hazel closer to him. Not minding, Hazel simply snuggled deeper into his body.

"Yes, our. Hera and I, in fact," the lady spoke up. "I am Philotes, the spirit personification and minor goddess of affection, friendship and sex."

"Which means to say one of these has gone wrong amongst us, or you just like messing with us. I'd say that it'd be friendship that's messed up since sex is a big no no in the middle of war and affection isn't that messed up," Annabeth deduced. "So which is it?"

"Friendship. Philotes will explain this in greater detail to you but I would like to address some issues first. Firstly, Reyna, none of this affects you much and you have been sent to Camp Half-Blood to wait out on this little bonding session, which shouldn't be that long to you," Hera replied, swiping through the IM before turning back to the demigods. "Now, time will be frozen and some other gods or goddesses will be joining you to help facilitate this whole thing. Time will only continue when we deem you bonded enough to continue."

"I felt disruptions in friendship amongst you," Philotes started. "My sister, Eris, goddess of strife and discord, has also confirmed the slight discord and strife amongst you. I would have to warn you, my other sister, Oizys, goddess of misery, anxiety, grief and depression, says that there is much of her domains amongst you and that these are part of the basis of the strife and discord."

"Wait right there," Leo said. "So you goddesses have nothing better to do than watch us all day?"

"No, its because our domains are related to your issues and it wouldn't do very well if the Seven and two other important demigods fail since they can't work together well enough," Philotes answered calmly.

Leo nodded.

"Anyway, your time starts now. Your main facilitator will be coming in the morning, so sleep," Hera commanded.

Somehow or another, against their wills, the demigods' eyelids drooped and they fell into a deep dreamless slumber.

Hypnos stepped out of the shadows and nodded at the two goddesses before disappearing into a flash of light.

"Thank you Hypnos," Philotes whispered to the air.

Hera and Philotes got to work, flashing the demigods to a palace in a corner of the earth in the sky.

"Are you sure that this will work?" Philotes asked Hera nervously.

"I don't know, but it'll have to, or Olympus is doomed," Hera sighed.

* * *

 **Word Count: 1114 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: Yay! My... Um... What do you call it? Writers' Block book, yeah. I'm on a heavy writers' block for oGaP, sadly. So... This book was created since I just needed to get some friendshippy stuff out there. Be glad I'm doing this or I may just end up writing MLP songs into oGaP. Yeah. No, there won't be MLP songs in Facades. So, for this story, anyone can drop me a review or PM to suggest ideas for the story. I may or may not use them since this is mainly a free writing piece, but I do have plans for the ending and some other stuff._

 _Peace!  
Summer)  
_


	2. Ch2: Aphrodite and Outfits

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

Percy woke up that morning in a completely unfamiliar place. The walls of the room were blue, a dull dark blue, with streaks of black, like a zebra. The bed he was sleeping on had dull blue bedspreads. The closet was black and the two doors, one probably leading to the bathroom and the other probably leading out, were both dark blue. The black table stand next to his bed had a simple white card on it.

Sighing, he picked up the card and read the elegant Ancient Greek letters.

 _Dear Percy,_

 _I hope you like your room! It reflects your innermost feelings and desires, as do your clothes. I designed them myself._

 _When you're ready, dress up and meet at the dining area. Its out the door, turn left and continue walking straight ahead._

 _Love,_  
 _Aphrodite_

He raised an eyebrow at this and opened the closet door.

The outfit there, like Lady Aphrodite had said, was basically the epitome of his emotions and desires, which was a very bad thing since he didn't want anyone to know his emotions. The only outfit there, a grey and dark blue long sleeved hoodie along with a pair of navy blue jeans gave no arguments as to what else he could wear. He simply sighed, heading into the bathroom to wash up.

* * *

"Is anyone going to get Kelp Head out of his room?" Thalia demanded, already in a very pissed off mood.

Like Percy, everyone received a similar card in their room, with their room and outfit perfectly displaying their inner feelings and desires. Thalia had somehow ended up in a silver tank top that reached above her belly button with black shorts. She felt that they were too revealing for her liking, her Hunter of Artemis instincts talking of course.

Nico had ended up reluctantly dragged from his room by Lady Aphrodite herself, dressed in a black t-shirt with a bright yellow smiley face and long light blue jeans. Annabeth had to hold back laughter at that, which resulted in a firm glare from the son of Hades. Annabeth had quite gladly returned the glare.

Annabeth herself was wearing a long laced silver dress with a slight streaks of light blue. She claimed it too girly for her liking yet others knew that deep inside her, she probably liked it.

Leo was decked out in a simple grey shirt with brown shorts and a yellow jacket over the shirt.

Piper was dressed in a pastel blue top, with a darker blue cardigan and a white asymmetrical skirt.

Jason had a electric blue t-shirt with a yellow lightning bolt on it, along with a pair of white shorts.

Frank wore a purple shirt with long dark blue jeans.

Hazel had a purple top with long sleeves, almost matching Frank's, that reached past her elbows along with a black a-line skirt.

At that moment, Percy stepped into the dining area. Glancing around, he raised an eyebrow at the choice of outfits and got quite a few curious looks in return.

"Lady Aphrodite," he started. "Can we be certain that these clothes truly reflect our innermost desires and emotions?"

"Yes," Aphrodite grinned. "They do indeed. So once breakfast is over, we can all play some bonding games, like truth or dare and stuff!"

Percy simply offered a weak grin in return as he sat down by the table and dug into his blue pancakes. Not before sacrificing some food first, of course.

* * *

"Game choices?" Aphrodite asked eagerly.

The demigods exchanged a glance.

"I believe it would be better if we explored the area before playing any games," Frank put across gently.

"It doesn't matter, we can explore the place later! So how about Never Have I Ever since you don't seem too comfortable with other games yet?" Aphrodite suggested.

The demigods exchanged glances again and shrugged.

"I'll start! Oh! By the way, you all get a drink of your choice for this game!" She continued. "Never have I ever had someone give me flowers."

All the other girls along with Percy took a sip from their respective drinks.

"I have no idea which idiot decided it'd be a good idea to give a Hunter of Artemis flowers," Thalia sighed.

"Probably a secret admirer for me," Annabeth cut in.

"Same for me," Piper added.

"Frank," Hazel smiled.

"Aphrodite girls and their roses," Percy sighed in exasperation. "No offense Pipes."

"None taken," Piper replied.

"My turn. Never have I ever... fell or jumped off the St. Louis Arch!" Annabeth said smugly.

"Gods, who would be that idiotic to do such a thing?" Thalia snickered.

In turn, Percy sighed and took a sip out of his blue cherry Coke, causing everyone but Annabeth to look at him in shock.

"Amazing!" Leo exclaimed. "How'd you do it man?"

"Jumped off it on my first quest because it made sense while I thought of it," Percy replied sheepishly.

"And gave me and Grover a heart attack!" Annabeth supplied.

"I didn't choose to be attacked by the mother of monsters, whatever that lady's name was," Percy retorted.

"I'll do it," Piper continued. "Never have I ever gotten a tattoo before."

The Romans, or at least those who had at any time thought they were Roman, took a sip from their drinks.

"Never have I ever talked to the dead," Frank said.

Nico, Hazel and Percy took a sip.

"Okay, Nico and Hazel I understand, but Percy? What have you been doing?" Jason exclaimed.

"A lot of things. This one was Bianca," Percy sent a glance at Nico, who smiled slightly. "di Angelo, Daughter of Hades and Nico's full blooded sister."

"Hm... Never have I ever got kicked out of school before," Jason said.

Percy took a tentative sip from his drink, raising up his fingers in the number seven. As expected, jaws dropped at that.

"Never have I ever," Thalia started tentatively. "Drowned or nearly drowned before."

Piper, Jason, Frank and Hazel glanced at Percy tentatively and the latter sighed before taking yet another sip.

"Before you ask how a Son of Poseidon can drown, it was muskeg... and cursed poison water," Percy cut in before Nico could say a word. "Also, it feels like you're all targeting me or something."

"Sorry about that Kelp Head. Never have I ever had an encounter with Death," Nico said, smirking. "Death as in Thantos."

Hazel, Frank and Percy took a sip.

"Never have I ever touched another god's symbol of power before," Hazel said.

Percy, Annabeth, Nico and Thalia all took a sip.

"Master Bolt for me," Annabeth smirked.

"Sword of Hades," Thalia and Nico chorused.

"Both of that and the Helm of Hades," Percy replied.

"Never have I ever not used or seen an IM before," Percy continued before anyone could come up with a snarky comment or question.

Hazel and Frank took tentative sips from their cups.

"Never have I ever sat on a god's throne before!" Leo exclaimed smugly.

Percy took a deep sigh and took the last sip from his drink. On the other hand, Aphrodite smirked and took her first sip throughout the game.

"Before anyone asks, it was during the Titan War and he needed his father to stop defending Atlantis and start defending Olympus itself," Annabeth explained on his behalf.

* * *

 **Word Count: 1211 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: Whoopsies. It seems I have forgotten to do a disclaimer for this story in the first chapter. o.O Anyways, here goes nothing._

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, or the Heroes of Olympus series, or any of the songs referenced to in this story._**

 _Whoops. Spoilers but whatever. One thing I do know is that I'll have a three-fold update at one point or another._

 _I'm currently working on four chapters for four different stories (one is an overlap of another). Two fanfictions, this and oGaP, along with a freelance story and a thingie I need for my Portfolio for that thing I'm applying for. If I get it I'll get to meet writers and publishers and get to stay for a week in a university...! Sorry, sidetracked._

 _Besides the point, all reviews, favourites and follows are welcome! :D All flames will be... Uh... Will fall to storm or fire! Um... No... That doesn't work... I'll just get Percy to drown the flames, or Leo to put them out, and follow up with um... Coach Hedge bludgeoning you with a baseball bat! His weapon is a baseball bat, right? Sorry, my memory is poor, especially when I do things just after waking up. Reading TLH, SoN, MoA and HoH all in one day was not a good idea on my part back then. I can't remember many things! Gah. If no one minds, this story will have no Percy-ships, I can't choose the ships. Yeah, I ship Percico, Jercy, Perzoe, Perlia... For some reason I don't ship Jasper or Percabeth much and definitely not Solangelo... Caleo is okay, Frazel is cute... I'm generally fine with most ships but Solangelo... No... What's with me and canon ships? Apparently we don't get along very well. Annabeth is sister-zoned in this story, if sister-zoned is a word. Whoops, more sidetracking. Teehee?_

 ** _Note: This story will have super irregular updates but I'll try to keep to as soon as possible. (Or the moment I'm done with the chapter)_**

 _Also, uh... This story will have lots of hurt. All and any advice is welcome (no flames, remember?), suggestions are definitely welcome. I've gotten a new strange obsession with Percy and Leo as best friends before all the demigodly stuff went down. I wonder what I'll have to do with it... Also, I've gotten another obsession with reading the books stories. I wonder... No one will kill me if this turns into a bit of reading the books, right? I promise if it is, it won't be much..._

 _Anyways..._

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	3. Ch3: Spins and Opinions

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

"How about lets try to decide what each persons current clothes says about them next?" Aphrodite asked, receiving nods of acknowledgement from most demigods. "I'll sit this game out, since I know what they mean. Spin the bottle and choose the first demigod."

A bottle appeared on the ground at the centre of the demigods' lopsided circle.

"Here goes nothing," Nico mumbled, spinning the bottle.

He quickly returned to his spot in the circle in between Thalia and Percy. The bottle spun and slowed.

Hazel... Leo... Piper... Jason... Thalia... Nico...?

The bottle stopped, pointing at Thalia, just barely missing him. He sighed in relief.

"So Thalia. How do we start?" Piper rubbed her hands together gleefully. "Her outfit is one of a typical teenage girl, revealing."

She earned herself a glare from Thalia at that.

"I'd say the silver stands for her loyalty to Artemis and the black... Black symbolises extremes and is a colour of strength, power, elegance, sophistication and authority. So it kinda shows her strength and power as a Daughter of Zeus, along with her elegance as a Hunter of Artemis. At the same time, black is a colour of mourning, which could mean that she is mourning something? Maybe her time lost as a pine tree, or losing Jason to Hera," Percy suggested.

Everyone stared at him.

"What? I can be smart and insightful if I want to," Percy defended, holding up his arms.

"I like Kelp Head's opinion," Thalia declared, reigning awkward silence.

"I think that pretty much covers everything," Aphrodite cut in before the situation could turn too awkward. "Thalia, you can spin the bottle."

The Daughter of Zeus obeyed and spun the bottle clockwise, watching as the point of it sped past Nico, Percy, Annabeth, Frank, Hazel, Leo, Piper... Jason. The bottle stopped at Jason.

"So, Jason's wearing blue, which stands for positivity, independence and peace. Independence could mean that he's not the little kid from before, yes this is directed at you Thals. Peace could stand for the peace between the camps," Nico supplied. "Positivity means exactly what it means."

"The yellow lightning bolt could be a representation of Zeus' Master Bolt, showing how he's related to Zeus," Annabeth thought aloud. "Alternatively, it could mean that he's powerful and not to be underestimated. Also, the white could stand for new beginnings, for either the two camps' unity or from Thalia."

"True," Jason replied, shrugging.

Jason spun the bottle, watching it land in Piper's direction.

"The constant emphasis on blue could be a constant emphasis on how independent she is, how she thinks for herself, lives by her rules, lives by her truth. The white, on the other hand, could simply mean to show the courage she has in herself," Frank decided.

"Makes sense," Piper shrugged. "That was a number of 'constant emphasis's though."

Piper spun the bottle expertly, causing it to land in the direction of Nico.

"Well, the yellow smiley face in front of the ominous black could go to show how the little cheerful Nico from before is still in there! He's just hiding behind his mask of being all dark and scary! The blue could mean the normal stuff, like independence and all," Thalia deduced.

Nico glared firmly in Thalia's direction, probably plotting her death.

Nico spun the bottle, watching it spin constantly, only to land on Frank.

"Purple could stand for Camp Jupiter, 'cos he's Roman and all. Then the white could mean a blank slate... From something we're not aware of," Leo said simply.

Frank shrugged simply before twisting the bottle and forcing it in an anti-clockwise direction, watching it as it landed on Annabeth.

"Its a dress, so it could mean that no matter how she acts, she's still a girl at heart. On the other hand, silver means that she isn't shy but is rather adventurous and is therefore up for anything. Blue in this case could stand for her smartness, independence and quick wit specifically," Hazel supplied.

Annabeth nodded in agreement, accepting the explanation.

Annabeth spun the bottle casually, landing it on Leo.

"Well, Leo's really cheerful, positive and optimistic, like the colour yellow. On the other hand, the brown could mean that he can be stable, smart and dependable if he wants to. Together, the yellow over brown looks kind of like a flame over firewood, which could represent the fire that he is able to wield," Percy suggested. "Then grey… I don't know what grey means but its a jacket, covering something so it could mean that he's hiding some secrets.

"Yeah," Leo agreed warily, shocked by how easily the Son of Poseidon could see through him.

Leo spun the bottle, lighting it up on fire before putting it out. Percy simply stared as the bottle ended up pointing at him.

"Kelp Head's makes no sense," Thalia declared.

"No, it kind of does. Blue. Independence and loyalty in one colour. Other than that, grey makes no sense," Annabeth corrected. "Grey may make someone seem apathetic, indifferent and depressed. Grey could further show anti-socialism and a lack of confidence."

"On another note, the long sleeves and hoodie could stand for secrets to hide," Hazel thought aloud.

"Percy's is confusing," Nico groaned.

Percy grinned widely, wiggling his fingers in the air.

"You never know much about me 'cause I'm too mysterious for you!" He announced in an ominous tone.

"Shush," Annabeth silenced him swiftly.

"You know you love me," Percy smiled sweetly.

"No we don't," Nico and Thalia chorused.

Percy simply stuck his tongue out at her before gesturing in Hazel's direction, seeing that she was the only one yet to have been analysed.

"Her interest in the colour purple could go for her loyalty to Camp Jupiter, like Frank. Also, the black could be a representation of her father, the Roman lord of death, or the time she spent dead, since the colour of death is black," Jason decided.

"What was the meaning of this though, Lady Ve- Aphrodite?" Frank asked.

Aphrodite's formed flickered into Venus for a slight moment, but Aphrodite simply frowned and reigned control.

Frank quickly dropped into a bow, apologising profusely for his actions.

"You'll see in due time! Now who's up for another game?" Aphrodite replied cheerfully.

* * *

 **Word Count: 1039 words**

* * *

 _(A/N: Gah. Crappy chapters. I swear it gets better though. I'm so tired and so done though. Don't sue me or this chapter, I'm in the middle of an examination period that ends soon. Have a one-shot coming up tomorrow. Completed it last month but the day for publishing is 5th October, which is tomorrow. Yay. Sorry, yeah, tired and done. Exams suck and deserve to be throttled to half-death. Whoever invented exams should die. I get it, he's likely to be dead but still, die. Thanks for all the reviews, they really did light up my day :D_

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	4. Ch4: Truths and Dares

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

 _I've got a secret_

"So… I know all of you have got some teensy little secrets," Aphrodite started, grinning.

 _I'm telling everyone_

"And I think, a choice between choosing revealing the secrets and getting wrecked by crazy ideas that your friends come up with is a really good way to bond," she continues.

 _Don't wanna keep it_

Everyone exchanged wary glances, dreading the next words.

 _I wanna play it dumb_

"So… Let's play a game of truth or dare!" She finished, squealing like a fangirl.

Percy and Thalia groaned simultaneously.

 _I made a promise_

"Pre-warning, Nico dares are scary. Even as a twelve year old," Thalia warned.

"It wasn't that bad!" Nico whined. "I swear!"

 _I think I'm ready to break_

"Yeah, right," Percy groaned.

"You had dare ideas no sane twelve year old kid would have," Thalia complained.

 _It's just a question_

"But it was your fault for picking dare, there were two options and I happened to-" Nico retorted, only to be cut off by Annabeth.

 _There's nothing wrong or right_

"Besides the point," Annabeth said, shooting warning glares at the Greek children of the Big Three. "Why don't we just start? Its just a game of truth or dare anyways."

 _But your intentions_

"But truth and dare!" Aphrodite whined.

 _Could keep you up all night_

"Its best played at night!"

 _You played with fire_

"Playing truth and dare is like giving Percy a bottle of Greek fire, disaster," Jason muttered but obliged anyways.

 _You need a way to escape_

Piper heard it and her eyes widened. Percy and Greek fire really did NOT go well together.

 _And when the lights_

"How about special effects?" Aphrodite suggested, snapping her fingers.

 _Go out, go out_

The lights started flickering continuously and an eery feeling filled the air.

 _We're just beginning_

"Nope," was the general response from the demigods.

Aphrodite pouted, but the lights went back to normal.

"Let's just start the game," Leo prompted, spinning the bottle.

 _And all around_

Everyone watched the bottle spinning on the ground in anticipation.

 _Our eyes are looking down_

Chocolate brown, kaleidoscope, sky blue, lightning blue, dark brown, sea green, stormy grey, hazel brown, glistening gold…

 _We spin the bottle round_

The list of colours repeated again as the bottle pointed at each colour of eyes again, spinning continuously.

 _And round, and round, and round_

The bottle finally landed on stormy grey.

 _Truth!_

"So… Annie," Thalia smirked, receiving a glare from Annabeth again. "Truth or dare?"

 _Last kiss on the tip of your lips, really his (talk, talk) was your heart beat beating?_

"No one told me anything about Thalia dares," Annabeth replied. "So dare."

 _Dare!_

"Stand up and do your best impression of the person on your right," Thalia suggested.

 _Time's up, are you ready or not? (T-t-talk!)_

"Percy?" Annabeth asked, receiving a nod from Thalia. "This should be simple."

 _So don't stop when you get that feeling now-ow-ow_

"Only its not," Percy snickered after Annabeth stood there thinking about how to go about it for two minutes.

 _(t-t-talk) 'cause your heart beat beating_

"Blue cookies!" Annabeth deepened her voice and yelled, waving her arms and running around randomly.

 _Now, now, it's just a game_

"I am so offended, bestie," Percy complained when Annabeth was done.

 _I feel uneasy_

"Too bad. Now, my turn to spin the bottle."

 _I feel a little scared_

The bottle went spinning again, but it landed on Leo this time.

 _I see the danger_

"Truth or dare?"

 _In being unprepared_

"Dare of course!" Leo said with a tone that screamed 'obviously', pumping his chest.

 _I try to hide it_

"Do your best impression of someone in this room and keep guessing until someone else guesses who you really are acting as successfully."

 _Before I make a mistake_

"Leave it to Annabeth to add some form of intellectualism into this game," Nico groaned.

 _So when the truth_

"Don't touch my friends," Leo growled.

 _Is out, is out_

"Percy," came the simultaneous answer.

 _We're just beginning_

Leo sighed and pretended to examine an invisible object.

 _And not a sound_

"The memories seem so real, but they aren't."

 _All eyes are staring down_

Piper furrowed her eyebrows. "Is it me?"

 _We spin the bottle round_

Leo nodded. "That didn't take long."

 _And round, and round, and round_

The bottle was spinning yet again.

 _Truth!_

"Truth or dare, Perseus," Leo asked smugly.

 _Last kiss on the tip of your lips_

"ITS PERCY!" Percy yelled before answering. "Not to be a wimp but I don't think I can act well, so truth."

 _Really his (talk, talk)_

"Hm… Tell us about the last dream that you had and don't leave anything out."

 _Was your heart beat beating?_

Percy paled as his heart rate quickened and grumbled, "Really? I'm not sure but I think it had something to do with Smelly Gabe. That much I can remember. It had something to do with him as a stone statue, by Medusa's head of course. That's all I can remember."

 _Dare!_

He wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling the full truth either. He would keep the full truth for as long as possible. Leo nodded in acceptances, understanding the hidden meaning layered behind the words.

 _Time's up, are you ready or not? (T-t-talk!)_

Everyone accepted the explanation and the bottle went spinning again.

 _So don't stop_

"Jason. T or D?" Percy asked.

 _When you get that feeling_

"Dare!" Jason answered.

 _Now-ow-ow_

"I dare you to… say a negative trait about everyone here, including the gods."

 _(Talk, talk) 'cause your heart beat beating_

"Percy!" Thalia yelled. "Are you trying to get my brother smitted?"

 _Now, now, it's just a game_

"No, continue. I would love to hear what he has to say about me," Aphrodite grinned.

 _I'm ready_

"Okay? Thalia, you're stubborn, really stubborn. Percy, based on what I've heard, stop saving your enemies. Leo, not everything is your fault. Hazel, stop thinking of your past. Piper, stop your insecurities. Annabeth, pride, enough said. Frank, stop the pessimism. Nico, grumpiness overload much. Aphrodite, you are rather temperamental," Jason answered.

 _So ready_

The bottle spun yet again.

 _So take me on_

"Hazel, truth or dare?"

 _(So take me on)_

"Truth! All your dares are dangerous in weird ways!"

 _Keep steady_

"Okay, who here, other than Frank, would you kiss?"

 _Don't drag this_

"What?!" Frank yelled in indignation.

 _On_

"Frank," Hazel replied firmly.

 _And on_

"No but-" Jason cut in to explain.

 _And on_

"Frank."

 _And on_

"But-"

 _And_

"Frank!"

 _On_

"But-"

 _Truth!_

"Face it Sparky, that's the only answer she's gonna give you," Leo sighed.

 _Last kiss_

"Why me?" Jason groaned.

 _On the tip of your lips_

The bottle went spinning again.

 _Really his_

"Nico! Truth or dare?"

 _(Talk, talk)_

"Dare," Nico replied confidently.

 _Was your heart_

"Stand up and professionally introduce yourself to the room. Now convince them as to why they should vote for you to be the next spokesperson for ghosts," Hazel commanded.

 _Beat beating?_

"Okay, not just Nico then. Its a Child of Hades/Pluto thing," Percy groaned while Nico stood up reluctantly.

 _Dare!_

"I'm Nico di Angelo, Son of Hades and Ghost King. All ghosts bow to me!" Nico introduced, yelled, released a wave of shadow power and continued calmly. "This is why I should be the next spokesperson for ghosts."

 _Time's up_

"That wasn't too bad, excluding the part where he scared us all to half-death," Piper nodded in approval.

 _Are you ready_

Let the bottle go spinning again and it landed on Piper herself!

 _Or not?_

"Dare!" Piper asked before Nico could ask the question.

 _(T-t-talk!)_

"I dare you to play the role of a typical Aphrodite child in front of the rest of the camp after the war," Nico commanded.

 _So don't stop_

"#nicodares," Jason chuckled.

 _When you get_

"We warned you," Percy and Thalia said in unison.

 _That feeling_

Piper sighed and spun the bottle.

 _Truth!_

"Thalia," Piper asked. "Truth or dare?"

 _Last kiss_

"Truth, I heard what Aphrodite cabin dares are like, truths aren't much better but they are better," Thalia shuddered.

 _On the tip of your lips_

"Which boy would you date, if you weren't a Hunter of Artemis, in this room?" Piper asked.

 _Really his (talk, talk)_

"Hm… Not Jason, he's my brother. Not Nico, he's the little irritating brother that I never actually grew up with. Not Leo, he's irritating. Frank's sweet and all, but just not my type. And well, I did have a slight crush on Percy before I was a Hunter, so Percy," Thalia answered.

 _Was your heart beat beating?_

"Wow." Was the general reaction from the room's occupants.

 _Dare!_

"Truth or dare Frank?" Thalia asked when the bottle stopped spinning.

 _Time's up, are you ready or not?_

"Dare." "I dare you to kiss the person on your right on the cheek."

 _So don't stop when you_

Frank sighed, and kissed Hazel on the cheek.

 _Get that feeling now-ow-ow_

 _(talk, talk) 'cause your heart beat beating_

"She's on my right side!" Frank reasoned, leaving Thalia speechless.

 _Now, now_

"And thus concludes our game of truth or dare!" Aphrodite announced in the voice of an announcer.

 _It's just a game_

"Shut up Aphrodite," the demigods groaned in unison.

* * *

 **Word Count: 1534 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: This is the most cringeworthy chapter I have ever written in my entire life. Even worse than TPIFI and SaD and IKM, and that's saying something since two of them were abandoned for cringey-ness (I don't think that's a word) and the other is possibly one of my worst works. The song in this chapter is Truth and Dare by Emily Osment. Listen to it if you want to, but it doesn't really matter._

 _I may have forgotten if I've said this already, but I love all you readers for... being awesome readers (What else?) and supporting me! Reviews, favourites, follows, Hades, even reads! They all light up my day, so thank you very much!_

 _On a side note, my examinations are over and this chapter *prods it in irritation (please don't say anything about intangible objects)* was purely written during that period, so... Its not an excuse, but more of a explanation? Same thing, I don't care anymore._

 _Peace out! (And stay awesome readers!)  
Summer)_


	5. Ch5: Reunions and Crafts

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

"Now, we can get Apollo to come down so we can do… whatever he has planned for you," Aphrodite declared upon calming everyone down. "Apollo!"

"Hey!" Apollo grinned as he flashed into the room. "Um. What were we supposed to do again?"

Aphrodite all but face-palmed.

"Whatever you want. A bonding activity," Aphrodite replied in exasperation.

Percy stared at Leo, observing the Latino. He seemed so… familiar… Not in the same way as Hazel, with the 'I knew his great grandfather and he looks just like him' thing. No, more of, 'I knew him before all this shit went down and his name was lost in that'.

"Oh, then let's do a-" Apollo started, only to be cut off.

"Wait, Leo?" Percy asked, interrupting Apollo, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Yeah?" Leo grunted distractedly.

That Son of Poseidon just seemed so familiar, yet Leo couldn't place his finger on where he saw the guy before.

"Do I know you?"

That got Leo's attention.

They stared at each other intensely. Chocolate brown eyes taking in the messy windswept raven black hair, troublemaker's grin of a facade… Sea green eyes taking in the messy brownish-black curls, joker's smile of a facade…

"You're Leonidas!" Percy yelped, all but jumping out of his seat.

"And you're… You're Perseus," Leo muttered loudly. "The only person I ever told my real name to."

"Gods, the hospital-"

"The injuries-"

"You were my neighbour."

"So I was."

"How are you now?"

"Worse. You better now?"

"No," Percy muttered softly before exclaiming, prodding the Latino. "I knew you seemed familiar!"

"Yeah, Perseus. You actually decided to use the shortened version of your name that I gave you!" Leo grinned. "And you're actually calling me Leo, not Leonidas!"

"Percy, now, you little hypocrite. I needed a way to remember you," Percy chuckled, poking Leo on the nose. "Thanks Leo, for that stunt you pulled that last day. I can imagine you would have gotten a lot of trouble from that act."

"It was nothing much or different, besides, you know what would have happened if I didn't do it," Leo whispered softly.

Percy returned a sad grin at him.

"What's going on?" Piper asked in confusion, interrupting their sweet little reunion moment.

Annabeth's eyebrows were scrunched up in confusion, as if she was trying to decipher the sudden recognition between the two demigods. Hazel and Piper were flat out confused. Jason and Frank were alternating staring between the two, trying to do the same as Annabeth. Thalia and Nico were glaring at Percy like "You know this guy?" and "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Nothing much, just a childhood reunion, go on Apollo," Leo grinned, changing his seat to one between Percy and Annabeth, leaning onto his childhood neighbour, best friend and almost-twin-brother.

"O-kay… A crafts competition!" Apollo declared. "We go to the art studio somewhere in this place and let you all create art or crafts! Teams of two or three are allowed."

Leo and Percy teamed up almost immediately. Next were Thalia and Nico, then Annabeth, Piper and Jason (surprisingly) and finally, Frank and Hazel.

* * *

"Oh my gods," Leo gasped as he and Percy entered their workspace. "Its perfect for us!"

"Like the old times in school?" Percy asked.

"Like the old times in school," Leo confirmed before they got to work. "Fireworks and automatons and… We can create a mini set for a play."

"Then let's do that!"

"CHB?"

"CHB."

* * *

"What are we doing?" Thalia asked Nico.

"I don't really know. I don't do art and neither do you," Nico replied.

"Well… Our normal stuff? Dark angst?"

"Okay, we'll try."

* * *

"Animals?" Frank asked.

"Gems?" Hazel asked at the exact same moment.

"Jewelled animals?" Frank suggested after some pondering.

"You are so on," Hazel grinned.

* * *

"I honestly have no idea where to start," Jason confessed.

"Don't worry, neither do I," Piper added.

"Simplicity is best, let's just do paintings of the different gods' symbols of power," Annabeth suggested.

"Fine by us," Piper said after exchanging glances with Jason.

* * *

All the demigods were done by the time Apollo announced time out, although Leo and Percy, and Hazel and Frank barely made it on time. (It was five hours later, by the way.)

Nico and Thalia stood next to a sad painting of a dying, wilting rose. Annabeth, Piper and Jason had a series of paintings with paintings of all the Olympians' symbols of powers.

Then Hazel and Frank came in dragging a life-sized jewelled Arion. The demigods gasped. It was beautiful. The jewels were of a colour that resembled the real Arion and brought out his speed as if he was 'jewel-fied' mid-stride.

Then Leo and Percy came in empty-handed.

"It was too big for this room and our working area, so we had to cut it up into parts to make it within the room," Leo said sheepishly.

"So… Have a bigger room?" Percy asked the two gods.

"Yeah," Apollo replied and led them to a bigger room.

"Give us… two minutes," Percy calculated before going to set up with Leo.

* * *

"Done!" Leo grinned, opening up the door.

The demigods went in and gasped. It was a literal scaled down version of Camp Half-Blood and another separate of Camp Jupiter. Automatons that looked just like the real people moved around, going to different parts of the camp.

"Wow," Annabeth breathed, albeit not wanting to admit her loss.

"Wow is right," Piper whispered. "It looks just like a mini Camp Half-Blood."

"And Camp Jupiter. You were there for like what? Barely a day and you could do all this?" Hazel asked.

"Not without Leo's help, of course!" Percy added, giving the Latino the due credit.

"Okay, Percy and Leo win, that's for sure," Apollo said, impressed.

It was at that point they decided to call it a day and go to bed.

* * *

 **Word Count: 979 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: Huh. Short chapter this time. Gah. I'm not dealing well with after-exam ideas. I forgot whatever plans I had for this story after it. Stupid little things. On a side note, there's a really heavy writers' block on oGaP, I'm anticipating a two-week wait in between chapters from now on. Then again, hardly anything goes according to plan._

 _At this point, I'm a hundred percent sure I've said this so many times its not even funny anymore, but thank you so much all you amazing readers/ followers/ favouriters (its not a word but who cares?)/ reviewers! :D (Because words cannot describe my happiness.)_

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	6. Ch6: Songs and Nerves1

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

Leo woke up the next morning with a small bleeding slit near his wrist. Confused, he stared at it, before remembering the deal he made. Shared pain. He frowned. He would have to talk to someone later.

* * *

"So," Aphrodite started. "Apollo wants to start today with a singing competition."

"Yes! The theme song challenge. Like, you'll randomly pick a name and you have to find a song that represents the person before singing it! It should be fun!" Apollo enthused.

Visible reluctance could be seen on every demigod's faces. Seriously? That was the best he could come up with?

Apollo handed out slips of paper with names on them and everyone opened theirs. With that, everyone got to work with finding suitable songs for each other.

* * *

"So first up, we have… Hazel!" Apollo exclaimed.

Everyone was assembled in a music room, complete with a series of music instruments, speakers and a stage.

Hazel shuffled her way onto the stage, nervously glancing around as if she couldn't trust herself to sing properly.

"Um, hey. This song is for Jason and its Speed of Light by some guy called DJ Manian. I don't think its very relevant to Jason, but it was the best I could find," Hazel said.

She took a deep breathe and started.

"I'm not a rebel, I'm just too crazy  
Don't hear alarm bells, nothing's gonna phase me  
Live on the edge 'cuz life is brief and then you die  
I'm breaking limits, and you can judge me  
Don't waste a minute with what they say on TV  
Live on the edge 'cuz I am not afraid to die

Can't slow me down, I'm racing by  
Can't hold me down 'cuz I can fly  
At the speed of light  
At the speed of light  
At the speed of light  
At the speed of light

I'm running at the speed of light  
So fast I set the world alight

I'm in a fast lane, try and race me  
Not losing this game, nothing's gonna change me  
Live on the edge 'cuz life is brief and then you die  
Maybe I'm reckless, but not foolish  
I'm making progress and you're living your last wish  
Live on the edge 'cuz I am not afraid to die

Can't slow me down, I'm racing by  
Can't hold me down 'cuz I can fly  
At the speed of light  
At the speed of light  
At the speed of light  
At the speed of light

I'm running at the speed of light  
So fast I set the world alight"

Her voice was average and the song meant well, but it didn't really match Jason much, unfortunately. Polite applause sounded throughout the room and a flustered and blushing Hazel made her way down from the stage to sit next to Frank.

"Jason is up next!"

Jason grinned nervously as he made his way onto the platform.

"This song is for Frank and its, quite ironically, Roar by Katy Perry," Jason laughed to himself while Frank flushed red.

"I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath  
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess  
So I sit quietly, agree politely  
I guess that I forgot I had a choice  
I let you push me past the breaking point  
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)  
Already brushing off the dust  
You hear my voice, you hear that sound  
Like thunder gonna shake the ground  
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)  
Get ready 'cause I've had enough  
I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire  
'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar  
Louder, louder than a lion  
'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
You're gonna hear me roar

Now I'm floating like a butterfly  
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes  
I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)  
Already brushing off the dust  
You hear my voice, you hear that sound  
Like thunder gonna shake the ground  
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)  
Get ready 'cause I've had enough  
I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire  
'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar  
Louder, louder than a lion  
'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
(You're gonna hear me roar)  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
(You'll hear me roar)  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
You're gonna hear me roar...

Ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire  
'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar  
Louder, louder than a lion  
'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
(You're gonna hear me roar)  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
(You'll hear me roar)  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
You're gonna hear me roar…"

Everyone but Jason and Frank laughed, Jason still breathing hard from the attempts at roaring.

"Frank, could you demonstrate how a tiger roars?" Leo asked, grinning.

Frank flushed red and turned into a tiger, roaring loudly, before turning back into a human. Everyone laughed even harder at that.

"Nico next?"

"I'm doing Annabeth's song. Fight Song by Rachel Platten," Nico deadpanned.

"Like a small boat  
On the ocean  
Sending big waves  
Into motion  
Like how a single word  
Can make a heart open  
I might only have one match  
But I can make an explosion

And all those things I didn't say  
Wrecking balls inside my brain  
I will scream them loud tonight  
Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song  
Take back my life song  
Prove I'm alright song  
My power's turned on  
Starting right now I'll be strong  
I'll play my fight song  
And I don't really care if nobody else believes  
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep  
Everybody's worried about me  
In too deep  
Say I'm in too deep (in too deep)  
And it's been two years I miss my home  
But there's a fire burning in my bones  
Still believe  
Yeah, I still believe

And all those things I didn't say  
Wrecking balls inside my brain  
I will scream them loud tonight  
Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song  
Take back my life song  
Prove I'm alright song  
My power's turned on  
Starting right now I'll be strong  
I'll play my fight song  
And I don't really care if nobody else believes  
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me  
A lot of fight left in me

Like a small boat  
On the ocean  
Sending big waves  
Into motion  
Like how a single word  
Can make a heart open  
I might only have one match  
But I can make an explosion

This is my fight song  
Take back my life song  
Prove I'm alright song  
My power's turned on  
Starting right now I'll be strong (I'll be strong)  
I'll play my fight song  
And I don't really care if nobody else believes  
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me  
Know I've still got a lot of fight left in me"

Nico did a small bow and walked back to his seat next to Thalia, all the demigods shellshocked. They didn't know he could sing that well, with that much emotion.

* * *

 **Word Count: 1363 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: Crap chapters. Triple update here we go!_

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	7. Ch7: Songs and Nerves2

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

"Percy's turn!" Apollo declared, the first to break the soon turning awkward silence.

Percy walked onto the stage and looked at every demigod, before resting his eyes on Leo for a brief second longer than others.

"Well, this song is called How To Save A Life, by The Fray. I could let you guess who it's for, I guess," Percy announced.

"Step one, you say, "We need to talk."  
He walks, you say, "Sit down. It's just a talk."  
He smiles politely back at you  
You stare politely right on through  
Some sort of window to your right  
As he goes left and you stay right  
Between the lines of fear and blame  
You begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best  
'Cause after all you do know best  
Try to slip past his defence  
Without granting innocence  
Lay down a list of what is wrong  
The things you've told him all along  
Pray to God, he hears you  
And I pray to God, he hears you

And where did I go wrong? I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice  
You lower yours and grant him one last choice  
Drive until you lose the road  
Or break with the ones you've followed  
He will do one of two things  
He will admit to everything  
Or he'll say he's just not the same  
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life

How to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life

How to save a life"

"That was amazing!" Thalia exclaimed. "And you said you couldn't sing!"

"So I did," Percy replied. "So who do you think?"

"Nico?" Annabeth suggested.

"Thalia?" Nico suggested.

"Hazel?" Frank suggested,

"No. No. And… no," Percy deadpanned. "How is it that difficult? It's Leo!"

"Well I'm sorry but not all of us share the knowledge of your pasts," Annabeth drawled sarcastically.

"Right," Percy realised with a bright red blush.

"It's Thalia's turn," Apollo decided to intervene.

"Well… This song is for Piper, I guess. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson," Thalia shrugged. "Here goes."

"You know the bed feels warmer  
Sleeping here alone  
You know I dream in colour  
And do the things I want

You think you got the best of me  
Think you've had the last laugh  
Bet you think that everything good is gone  
Think you left me broken down  
Think that I'd come running back  
Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger  
Stand a little taller  
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone  
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter  
Footsteps even lighter  
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger  
Just me, myself and I  
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger  
Stand a little taller  
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

You heard that I was starting over with someone new  
They told you I was moving on over you

You didn't think that I'd come back  
I'd come back swinging  
You try to break me, but you see

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger  
Stand a little taller  
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone  
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter  
Footsteps even lighter  
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger  
Just me, myself and I  
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger  
Stand a little taller  
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

Thanks to you I got a new thing started  
Thanks to you I'm not the broken-hearted  
Thanks to you I'm finally thinking about me  
You know in the end the day you left was just my beginning  
In the end...

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger  
Stand a little taller  
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone  
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter  
Footsteps even lighter  
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

 _[2x]  
_ What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger  
Just me, myself and I  
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger  
Stand a little taller  
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

(When I'm alone)"

Her singing skills were average and not really good but it was fine, for the song.

"Next is Leo," Apollo told the demigods.

"Well… This song is Heroes (We Could Be) by Alesso. We could guess who its for too."

"We could hide away in daylight  
We go undercover, wait out the sun  
Got a secret side in plain sight  
Where the streets are empty, that's where we run

Everyday people do everyday things but I  
Can't be one of them  
I know you hear me now, we are a different kind  
We can do anything

We could be heroes  
We could be heroes, me and you  
We could be heroes  
We could be heroes, me and you  
We could be

Anybody's got the power  
They don't see it cause they don't understand  
Spin around and round for hours  
You and me, we got the world in our hands

Everyday people do everyday things but I  
Can't be one of them  
I know you hear me now, we are a different kind  
We can do anything

We could be heroes  
We could be heroes, me and you  
We could be heroes  
We could be heroes, me and you  
We could be

We could be heroes  
We could be heroes  
Me and you...  
We could be

All we're looking for is love and a little light  
Love and a little light  
(We could be)  
All we're looking for is love and a little light  
Love and a little light

We could be heroes  
We could be heroes  
Me and you...  
We could be"

"You sang surprisingly well compared to normally," Piper commented.

"Its called not trying," Leo replied.

"The song seems strangely applicable for all demigods," Annabeth frowned. "But most applicable would be Percy, I guess."

"And we have a winner!" Leo exclaimed in a mock announcer's voice.

* * *

 **Word Count: 1188 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: As I said, crap chapters and triple updates._

 _Peace out!  
_ _Summer)_


	8. Ch8: Songs and Nerves3

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

"Its Frank next," Apollo informed them.

"Apparently, this song is Demons by Imagine Dragons for Nico," Frank said.

"When the days are cold  
And the cards all fold  
And the saints we see  
Are all made of gold

When your dreams all fail  
And the ones we hail  
Are the worst of all  
And the blood's run stale

I wanna hide the truth  
I wanna shelter you  
But with the beast inside  
There's nowhere we can hide

No matter what we breed  
We still are made of greed  
This is my kingdom come  
This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat  
Look into my eyes  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide  
Don't get too close  
It's dark inside  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide

At the curtain's call  
It's the last of all  
When the lights fade out  
All the sinners crawl

So they dug your grave  
And the masquerade  
Will come calling out  
At the mess you made

Don't wanna let you down  
But I am hell bound  
Though this is all for you  
Don't wanna hide the truth

No matter what we breed  
We still are made of greed  
This is my kingdom come  
This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat  
Look into my eyes  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide  
Don't get too close  
It's dark inside  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide

They say it's what you make  
I say it's up to fate  
It's woven in my soul  
I need to let you go

Your eyes, they shine so bright  
I wanna save that light  
I can't escape this now  
Unless you show me how

When you feel my heat  
Look into my eyes  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide  
Don't get too close  
It's dark inside  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide"

"I like it," Nico nodded in approval.

"Piper," Apollo signalled for said demigod to head to the stage.

"Well, this song is Lightning by Alex Goot, quite ironically. Disclaimer, this song does not reflect any feelings I have for her," Piper announced.

"She's staring me down with those electric eyes,  
No matter how hard I try,  
I can't escape that gaze tonight,  
That girl's up in the atmosphere,  
That girl's up in the atmosphere,  
Oh,

I'm hypnotized by the way she moves,  
Baby girl please help me soothe,  
Imma take you to the sun and the moon,  
That girl's up in the atmosphere,  
Oh,  
That girl's up in the atmosphere,  
Yeah,

And I've been catching myself thinking of it,  
It was three in the morning,  
Every day I chase after her,  
But I can't catch lightning,  
Catching myself thinking of it,  
It was three in the morning,  
Every day I chase after her,  
But I can't catch lightning,  
No, I can't catch lightning,

She'll make you believe anything she wants,  
Make you think that you're the one,  
She will keep you there,  
That girl's up in the atmosphere,  
She's way up in the atmosphere,

And I've been catching myself thinking of it,  
It was three in the morning,  
Every day I chase after her,  
But I can't catch lightning,  
Catching myself thinking of it,  
It was three in the morning,  
Every day I chase after her,  
But I can't catch lightning,  
No, I can't catch lightning  
Oh I can't catch lightning,  
Yeah,  
I can't catch lightning,

She's staring me down with those electric eyes,  
No matter how hard I try,  
I can't escape that gaze tonight,  
That girl's up in the atmosphere,  
That girl's up in the atmosphere,  
That girls up in the atmosphere,  
Oh,  
She's way up in the atmosphere,

And I've been waiting, waiting, waiting for you,  
Anticipating,  
Chasing after things that you do,  
But I can't catch lightning,  
Waiting, waiting, waiting for you  
Anticipating,  
Chasing after things that you do,  
But I can't catch lightning,  
No, I can't catch lightning,  
Oh yeah,  
No I can't catch lightning,  
Oh I can't catch lightning,  
Oh no,  
I can't catch lightning"

Thalia simply flushed a bright red, igniting laughter from the other demigods.

"And last but not least, Annabeth!" Apollo announced.

"This song is Diamonds, for Hazel, by Rihanna," Annabeth said before singing.

"Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond

Find light in the beautiful sea  
I choose to be happy  
You and I, you and I  
We're like diamonds in the sky

You're a shooting star I see  
A vision of ecstasy  
When you hold me, I'm alive  
We're like diamonds in the sky

I knew that we'd become one right away  
Oh, right away  
At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays  
I saw the life inside your eyes

So shine bright tonight, you and I  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky  
Eye to eye, so alive  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Palms rise to the universe  
As we moonshine and molly  
Feel the warmth, we'll never die  
We're like diamonds in the sky

You're a shooting star I see  
A vision of ecstasy  
When you hold me, I'm alive  
We're like diamonds in the sky

At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays  
I saw the life inside your eyes

So shine bright tonight, you and I  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky  
Eye to eye, so alive  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond

So shine bright tonight, you and I  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky  
Eye to eye, so alive  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Oh, yeah  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond  
Shine bright like a diamond"

Hazel nodded in approval of the song. "Ironical but okay."

"Well, now, Hebe has a small little present for all of you!" Aphrodite grinned. "Goddess of Youth or something like that, by the way."

* * *

 **Word Count: 1116 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: Yay! Last of the triple update! And crap chapters. As a bonus, within the next 24 hours, the next chapter will be up. Thanks so much for putting up with these three crappy chapters! *Hint, these were basically chapters recommending some of my favourite songs*_

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	9. Ch9: Fires and Storms

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

Suddenly, on the ground stood an eight year old Leo and a nine year old Percy, the older ones, sixteen and seventeen, gone.

Well, basic deduction all but says that they turned into younger versions of themselves. That's an almost definite with Hebe, Greek Goddess of Youth, there for a moment then gone.

Everyone stares at each other.

"Who are you?" Leo asked shakily.

"What do you want with us?" Percy added nervously, grabbing Leo's hand and clutching it tight.

The fire user squeezed Percy's hand in return.

Thalia took note of this and the rest of the group looked between each other before having a silent unanimous decision to let Piper go up to talk to them.

"Hey-" Piper started offering a hand before noticing Percy's suspicious glare at her and Leo bursting into tears.

"No!" Leo screamed, thrashing and kicking. "Stay away!"

Percy flinched, but stayed there, sitting down, letting Leo lean on him and stroking the Latino's hair, running his fingers through it. Leo screamed again and cried out desperately, tears streaking down his face.

"If you let us, we could help him," Hazel tried to convince Percy.

"No," came the firm and stubborn reply.

Percy simply sat there, keeping up the glare while soothing Leo down. Let's just say, even as a kid, Percy's glare was pretty scary, scary enough for everyone to want to take a step back. One could almost read his message through his eyes, "See what you did?"

Fingers running through the messy curls, the little Son of Poseidon whispered things into the little Son of Hephaestus's ears. Surprisingly, for the other demigods, Leo was responding positively. His tears slowed, though not disappearing, his screams diminished, though he still whimpered, and his thrashing and kicking stopped, allowing Percy to loosen his tenseness.

"Thanks Percy," Leo whispered.

"Its Perseus, Leonidas," Percy replied.

"But Perseus and Leonidas are too long!" Leo whined. "Percy and Leo. That's that."

"I know, you said so before," Percy retorted. "Be more careful now, with your flashbacks."

"Like you don't have any."

"True."

They seemed to have forgotten that there were others present.

"I wanna die," Leo muttered.

"If you do, I'll join you. Our deal, remember?" Percy coaxed. "Don't leave each other alone as much as we can. Believe me, I want to too."

The grown-up teenage demigods were shocked into a lack of voice. Both Leo and Percy were suicidal?! That seemed so unlike them. Unlike the cheerful jokester Son of Hephaestus, unlike the sarcastic and ever-optimistic Son of Poseidon. Then again, most of them were hiding behind facades.

"Yeah, but you have Aunt Sally to live for."

"And so do you, you're my cousin, remember?"

What? Cousins? They were cousins? How little did they know about the duo?

"What?" Thalia gasped out, but that was enough.

Leo and Percy shut up instantly, bracing into similar raw and unpracticed defensive stances.

"Who are you?" Leo.

"What do you want?" Percy.

"Introductions. Right. The girl with blue highlights is Thalia, the emo-looking boy is Nico, the blonde guy with blue eyes is Jason, the girl with feathers in her hair is Piper, the Asian looking guy is Frank, the girl with golden eyes is Hazel and I'm Annabeth."

"Annabeth is lo-ong," Leo whined. "Bethy is not."

Annabeth's eye lid twitched. "Annabeth. That's it."

"No-" Leo started, only to be cut off by Percy.

"I'm Perseus and this is Leonidas," he introduced.

"No, Percy and Leo," Leo cut in.

"Whatever."

"So-o... We just want to get to know you," Jason smiled softly.

"Mamá said not to talk to strangers," Leo said nervously.

"And we've talked to different strangers on at least 21 different situations," Percy convinced.

* * *

"What do you want to know?" Percy asked, straight to the point.

"What's life like for you?" Hazel questioned softly.

Leo stiffened. Percy did not. Instead, his eyes glazed over and he started whimpering and sobbing.

When Leo calmed down sufficiently, he relaxed and whispered, "Enough to think of running away multiple times and going through with the idea itself."

Then, he coaxed Percy to lying down on his lap, running fingers through the Son of Poseidon's messy locks, whispering things that no one else could hear. Percy stopped his sobs and whimpers, wiping away any remaining tears.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Nothing to say sorry for," Leo answered. "Hypo-whateverthing."

"Hypocrite," Nico corrected while Frank placed a hand on little Leo's shoulder.

Leo flinched into Percy's embrace and the latter started to run his fingers through the former's hair.

It was at that moment Geras, Greek God of Old Age, decided to flash in and return the duo back to their original age and mindsets.

Leo and Percy found themselves in an awkward position with everyone staring at them, Percy's fingers halfway through Leo's hair. They took one look at each other, hurried up, and ran into Leo's room.

* * *

 **Word Count: 816 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: Short chapters. Maybe I shouldn't set such expectations of myself next time..._

 _Read this chapter however you want to. Speculate, theorise... I think it'll come out in like ten chapters time. Maybe more, maybe less. Somewhere around there... Enjoy the chapter!_

 _Side note, I'll have you know that the title of this chapter has absolutely no relations to the prophecy of the Seven. Its just Leo=Fire and Percy=Storm._

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	10. Ch10: Sarina and Notes

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

"That, was awkward," Leo grinned sheepishly.

"You don't think?" Percy groaned, stuffing his head into his hands.

The duo had been dragged out of Leo's room by Aphrodite after a little conversation they shared was interrupted.

Glares were shot at the duo by the rest of those participating in the bonding session.

"What was that about?" Nico demanded.

"What?" Percy asked innocently.

"The breakdown and the running away," Annabeth clarified.

"What breakdown?" Leo asked, really and truly confused. "As for the running away, we were in a really awkward position and simply did what we had to do."

"What happened? There's a gap in my memory, I can't remember what exactly happened," Percy added.

Everyone fell silent. Did they really not remember the events that happened when they were turned into little kids?

"Besides the point," Apollo interrupted. "We're going to let you all discuss stuff, no restriction on the topics. More on your lives..."

"But," Aphrodite interrupted, raising up a few books, specifically two books. "Someone sent us this."

"Someone?" Hazel asked suspiciously.

"Um.. Someone," Jason confirmed, taking the books and looking at the note on them. "Someone that's stalking us and we don't know who the person is in real life. Apparently, she goes by the name of Shadow."

"Could be Death Breath's brother," Thalia snickered.

"Shut up," Nico retorted.

"Sister," Piper corrected. "Shadow seems to be more of a girls' name. Then again, it could really be a boy."

"Who cares?" Leo asked, throwing his hands into the air. "Just start. Read the note to us first, Sparky."

* * *

 _Hey!_

 _Um.. This is Ancient Greek, right? I'm one of those rare non-dyslexic demigods. Yippee. So to me, this looks like Ancient Greek, Latin, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and English, all at the same stupid time. Don't judge, I'm quite a linguist. I'm not completely knowledgable at Spanish and Japanese though._

 _So, besides the point, this is just a quick little thing to speed up your discussions. Yeah, I know what's going on. I guess… You could say I'm from the future so I know what's going on._

 _So! Warnings eh?_

 _Don't be creeped out or anything. Don't read the whole books! I'll get the gods to give you time for that once all this is over! (This meaning the Second Giant War, of course.) Hm…_

 _Okay, first, read chapters 1 to 3 of the Lightning Thief. Then read… Give me a moment… Chapters 47, 48, 55 and 56 of House of Hades. I'm sure some people can picture what these are about._

 _Peace! (For as much as possible, of course.)  
Shadow_

 _(Hm… My name isn't exactly Shadow, but you can call me that. It doesn't matter much to me. Same with Emerald, Moon, Phyre… But safest, you can call me Sarina since that's my real name. Why did I even bother using Shadow then? Sorry, ADHD.)_

* * *

"So… Sarina, eh?" Leo chuckled. "Weird name for a weird kid."

Piper smacked him on the head. "Bad Leo, mean!"

"Ouch!"

"You deserved it."

"… She seems like she could be my sister…" Nico muttered.

A flash of light interrupted the demigods.

"Oh my gods. I just realised I didn't think this through at all," a strangely accented feminine voice groaned.

The light died down.

"I'll have to read it through too huh? Gracias yo*, you really made my day," the said female grumbled to herself. "Cheers to bad planning!"

Everyone else in the room stared at her in confusion. The girl seemed… eccentric, for a lack of better words. She seemed barely thirteen, her hair was dark brown with emerald green tips and her eyes were midnight black with grey flecks in them. She wore a dark grey top with black specks and a shimmery black sweater along with a pair of black tight pants that had sparkling emerald green streaks down each side of the pants.

"Oh. Sorry. Introductions. I'm Sarina, or Shadow or Emerald or Moon or Phyre… Uh… I'm kinda like yet not quite like Frank, demigod child of Hades and legacy of… Don't sue me, Minerva. So… Hi!" The girl, Sarina, grinned. "Sorry, this was bad planning on my part. I should have sent you translated copies. Can't have Frank reading everything, right? It ruins the whole effect. I'll read."

"Hello Sarina, I'm-" Annabeth started formally.

"Sorry Aunt Annabeth for interrupting. I kinda know all of you already. Like… Yeah, you're Aunt Annabeth. Then the valientemente idiota y leal** of a Son of Poseidon is Cousin Percy. Sunshine t-shirt is quite embarrassingly my idiot of a brother, Nico. Revealingly dressed punk girl- sorry 'cuz, you know you like it- is Cousin Thalia, girl in purple is my sister, Hazel, guy in purple is Hazey's boyfriend- Frazel is amazingly cute and I'm sure Aphrodite will agree!- Frank, blonde superman is Roman cognata*** Jason, girl with lots of blue and white is Piper and… boy with brown, yellow and grey is Leo," Sarina listed off. "Other two… The guy who looks like the sun is Apollo and the other lady is Aphrodite."

"You… strangely enough, got everyone right…" Thalia gasped.

"And you're annoyingly cheerful for a child of Hades…" Jason grumbled.

"So sorry I can't live up to your expectations, cognata," Sarina snarked. "But does anyone remember kid Nico? He was all 'A manticore? He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!'"

Everyone laughed at the quite similar imitation of kid Nico while Nico flushed.

"'Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get any movement points for'-" She continued.

"Stop!" Nico groaned. "Its embarrassing."

"Aww… Big bro is embarrassed!" Sarina teased before sobering up. "But really, don't be. There's no shame in Mythomagic… I'm sure everyone here has embarrassing little secrets…"

Everyone looked down in shame. How was this lone Daughter of Hades able to affect them so much?

"Oh gods, I'm doing that thing again with my words! Gah! Stop! I wasn't trying to use my… Uh… Mystiokinesis! Charmspeak!"

Moment ruined.

"Charmspeak? Isn't that a thing only my children can do?" Aphrodite asked.

"How do you put it? Some children of Athena and consequently, even lesser of her legacies, are able to use Mystiokinesis. Why not Minerva then? And so, Charmspeak is a sub-division of Mystiokinesis," Annabeth explained. "Mystiokinesis is magic, by the way."

"And your accent, Sarina?" Percy asked.

"Oh! Like how Nico has this Italian accent and Hazel has this New Orleans' accent and Frank has a faint China accent and Leo has a Spanish accent and Annabeth has this weird mix of multiple accents and Percy has a clear New York accent. I have a Singaporean accent!" Sarina said in excitement. "Uh… A Singaporean accent mixed with a little bit of Spanish."

Silence.

"Singapore, like from China?" Jason asked slowly.

"China! Why is it always China?!" Sarina groaned, yelling at the ceiling. "China! Our ancestors were from China, India, Britain, Malaysia… You get the point, but we weren't ever in China! Ever heard of Malaysia?!"

Nods from around the area.

"Yeah! The southern tip of Malaysia is where Singapore is!" She continued, grumbling. "China. Always stupid China."

"Sorry to interrupt, Sarina, but shouldn't we start reading?" Frank asked politely.

"Right!" Sarina grinned, grabbing the first book. "First up! Chapter Forty-Seven of Heroes of Olympus, House of Hades!"

* * *

*Gracias yo- Spanish for thank you me (It makes no sense but roll with it)  
** Valientemente idiota y leal- Spanish for idiotically loyal and brave  
***Cognata- Latin for cousin

* * *

 **Word Count: 1221 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: Please note, I am not Sarina and Sarina is not me. She's just a character that's really my first imaginary friend... Don't judge. Ha. I've got nothing much to say so..._

 _Peace out! (Yeah, I got this from Sarina)  
Summer)_


	11. Ch11: Akhlys and Misery

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

"Heroes of Olympus?" Piper asked.

"Yeah! The Seven, Nico and… Reyna, I'd prefer Thalia though…" Sarina pouted.

"I feel the love," Thalia grinned.

"House of Hades?" Jason asked.

"Where did you just come from?" Sarina retorted.

The demigods went silent.

 **Chapter XLVII: Percy**

 **PERCY MISSED BOB.**

"Who's Bob?" Leo asked.

Wrong question.

Annabeth choked back a sob and curled into Percy's side while the latter stroked her hair softly.

 **He'd gotten used to having the Titan on his side, lighting their way with his silver hair and his fearsome war broom.**

"Titan?" Frank gaped at the same time Thalia asked, "War broom?"

The demigods chuckled, with the exception of Percy and Annabeth.

 **Now their only guide was an emaciated corpse lady with serious self-esteem issues.**

"Emaciated corpse lady?" Hazel asked. "Percy, you have weird descriptions."

"Yeah! Comes with the job, you know?" Percy smiled.

The demigods chuckled.

 **As they struggled across the dusty plain, the fog became so thick that Percy had to resist the urge to swat it away with his hands. The only reason he was able to follow Akhlys's path was because poisonous plants sprang up wherever she walked.**

"Akhlys?! Poisonous plants?!" Thalia exclaimed. "We need to talk later Percy."

"Sure," Percy muttered.

 **If they were still on the body of Tartarus, Percy figured they must be on the bottom of his foot—a rough, calloused expanse where only the most disgusting plant life grew.**

"How did you imagine Tartarus?" Annabeth asked shakily.

"Uh… I think I saw it the way Nico did, for a little while. I don't think you're supposed to…" Percy trailed off.

Nico looked at him pityingly. "Conclusion, you nearly died?"

Percy nodded.

 **Finally they arrived at the end of the big toe. At least that's what it looked like to Percy. The fog dissipated, and they found themselves on a peninsula that jutted out over a pitch-black void.**

 **"Here we are." Akhlys turned and leered at them. Blood from her cheeks dripped on her dress. Her sickly eyes looked moist and swollen but somehow excited. Can Misery look excited?**

"Apparently," Piper grumbled.

 **"Uh…great," Percy asked. "Where is here?"**

 **"The verge of final death," Akhlys said. "Where Night meets the void below Tartarus."**

"Woah. Why were you-" Jason started.

"Don't. Even. Ask," Percy growled lowly.

 **Annabeth inched forward and peered over the cliff. "I thought there was nothing below Tartarus."**

 **"Oh, certainly there is.…" Akhlys coughed. "Even Tartarus had to rise from somewhere. This is the edge of the earliest darkness, which was my mother. Below lies the realm of Chaos, my father. Here, you are closer to nothingness than any mortal has ever been. Can you not feel it?"**

"Nice information," Sarina grumped, interrupting herself.

"Oh the horror! Do Daughters of Athena and Legacies of Minerva have the same lust for knowledge?" Leo gasped dramatically.

"No. I don't," Annabeth and Sarina growled simultaneously.

 **Percy knew what she meant. The void seemed to be pulling at him, leaching the breath from his lungs and the oxygen from his blood. He looked at Annabeth and saw that her lips were tinged blue.**

 **"We can't stay here," he said.**

"Of course not. You're literally on the verge of death. I wonder why you'd think that way?" Nico grumbled, clearly not happy with having to revisit Tartarus.

 **"No, indeed!" Akhlys said. "Don't you feel the Death Mist? Even now, you pass between. Look!"**

 **White smoke gathered around Percy's feet. As it coiled up his legs, he realized the smoke wasn't surrounding him. It was coming from him. His whole body was dissolving. He held up his hands and found they were fuzzy and indistinct. He couldn't even tell how many fingers he had. Hopefully still ten.**

"Hopefully."

 **He turned to Annabeth and stifled a yelp. "You're—uh—"**

 **He couldn't say it. She looked dead.**

"You scared me," Percy deadpanned.

"So did you," Annabeth retorted.

 **Her skin was sallow, her eye sockets dark and sunken. Her beautiful hair had dried into a skein of cobwebs. She looked like she'd been stuck in a cool, dark mausoleum for decades, slowly withering into a desiccated husk. When she turned to look at him, her features momentarily blurred into mist.**

"That sounds scary and I'm not even looking at it!" Hazel gasped.

"It was worse in reality," Percy replied lowly.

 **Percy's blood moved like sap in his veins.**

 **For years, he had worried about Annabeth dying. When you were a demigod, that went with the territory. Most half-bloods didn't live long. You always knew that the next monster you fought could be your last. But seeing Annabeth like this was too painful. He'd rather stand in the River Phlegethon, or get attacked by arai, or be trampled by giants.**

 **"Oh, gods," Annabeth sobbed. "Percy, the way you look…"**

 **Percy studied his arms. All he saw were blobs of white mist, but he guessed that to Annabeth he looked like a corpse. He took a few steps, though it was difficult. His body felt insubstantial, like he was made of helium and cotton candy.**

"Detailed descriptions…" Frank looked sick, ready to run out of the room.

 **"I've looked better," he decided. "I can't move very well. But I'm all right."**

 **Akhlys clucked. "Oh, you're definitely not all right."**

 **Percy frowned. "But we'll pass unseen now? We can get to the Doors of Death?"**

 **"Well, perhaps you could," the goddess said, "if you lived that long, which you won't."**

"But you're here, aren't you?" Leo asked, poking the Son of Poseidon.

"Yeah bro, for now," Percy grinned.

"Aw… I love Percy and Leo bromance!" Sarina squealed, ruining the moment. "Sorry! I'll, uh, continue reading!"

 **Akhlys spread her gnarled fingers. More plants bloomed along the edge of the pit—hemlock, nightshade, and oleander spreading toward Percy's feet like a deadly carpet. "The Death Mist is not simply a disguise, you see. It is a state of being. I could not bring you this gift unless death followed —true death."**

 **"It's a trap," Annabeth said.**

 **The goddess cackled. "Didn't you expect me to betray you?"**

 **"Yes," Annabeth and Percy said together.**

Sarina chuckled lowly behind the book. "Just a spoiler warning… Tartarus changes people."

"Its okay, I get what you mean," Percy grinned. "You do know what's coming next, right? You've read the story before, it seems."

"Yeah, good luck dealing with them, cousin," Sarina smiled softly.

 **"Well, then, it was hardly a trap! More of an inevitability. Misery is inevitable. Pain is—"**

"Yeah, yeah," Thalia growled. "Wait till Percy beats you to dust."

 **"Yeah, yeah," Percy growled. "Let's get to the fighting."**

"That was… strangely similar," Jason mused.

 **He drew Riptide, but the blade was made of smoke. When he slashed at Akhlys, the sword just floated across her like a gentle breeze.**

"But!" Thalia gasped.

 **The goddess's ruined mouth split into a grin. "Did I forget to mention? You are only mist now— a shadow before death. Perhaps if you had time, you could learn to control your new form. But you do not have time. Since you cannot touch me, I fear any fight with Misery will be quite one-sided."**

 **Her fingernails grew into talons. Her jaw unhinged, and her yellow teeth elongated into fangs.**

"Stop!" Piper screamed. "Its one thing doing it in real life, there's not enough time to process everything, but reading detailed descriptions? Nope!"

"Well, be glad, its the end of the chapter. We can continue later," Sarina smiled softly.

* * *

 **Word Count: 1240 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: I cringe so badly what is happening to my writing level its_ _deteriorating so much, like seriously?_

 _Side note, curse me all you want. I had a burst of inspiration... or two... or three... or four... (I have serious issues.) So I have so many projects now. Um. There's a PJO/HP crossover, a random one-shot, next month's awareness thingy and a continuation to See Me For Me. That's the non-published ones... Then there IS this book and oGaP... Then the project I have for school... Yup, I'm overworked. Curse me. Then I may or may not have completely forgotten about my fanfiction account seeing as I've been writing on Wattpad (Nothing's published, don't try to stalk me down. I don't even have the same name!) instead of on my computer Notes or Word Docs... Doesn't matter. I forgot Facades existed. Whoops. Please don't curse me to Tartarus and back. Or use whatever your godly powers are to kill me or torture me slowly. Then, I lost my device with all the stuff written it for... a day. So, this was supposed to come out yesterday..._

 _So sorry!_

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	12. Ch12: Limits and Pains

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras, Akhlys, Kronos, the Fates, Nyx, Tartarus, Iapetus (Bob), Poseidon**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

As everyone settled down in the circle again, after taking the break, Sarina opened the book and continued reading.

 **Chapter XLVIII**

 **AKHLYS LUNGED AT PERCY, and for a split second he thought: Well, hey, I'm just smoke. She can't touch me, right?**

"You wish Kelp Head, you wish," Nico sighed, shaking his head.

"Wouldn't you?" Thalia asked, grimacing at the pictured scene in her head.

 **He imagined the Fates up in Olympus, laughing at his wishful thinking: LOL, NOOB!**

"What goes on in your mind?" Hazel asked incredulously.

"A lot of things," Percy replied.

 **The goddess's claws raked across his chest and stung like boiling water.**

"Water. Water reference?" Leo muttered. "Water obsessions."

 **Percy stumbled backward, but he wasn't used to being smoky.**

"Who would be?" Jason asked skeptically.

 **His legs moved too slowly.**

"Something like Kronos?" Frank questioned, receiving a sharp nod.

 **His arms felt like tissue paper. In desperation, he threw his backpack at her, thinking maybe it would turn solid when it left his hand, but no such luck. It fell with a soft thud.**

"Of course," Percy muttered to himself. "Of course it did."

 **Akhlys snarled, crouching to spring. She would have bitten Percy's face off if Annabeth hadn't charged and screamed, "HEY!" right in the goddess's ear.**

 **Akhlys flinched, turning toward the sound.**

"Smart Annabeth," Piper grinned cheekily, petting Annabeth's head.

 **She lashed out at Annabeth, but Annabeth was better at moving than Percy. Maybe she wasn't feeling as smoky, or maybe she'd just had more combat training. She'd been at Camp Half-Blood since she was seven. Probably she'd had classes Percy never got, like How to Fight While Partially Made of Smoke.**

"Huh?" Annabeth asked incredulously. "What are you thinking?"

Percy shrugged non-committedly.

 **Annabeth dove straight between the goddess's legs and somersaulted to her feet. Akhlys turned and attacked, but Annabeth dodged again, like a matador.**

 **Percy was so stunned, he lost a few precious seconds. He stared at corpse Annabeth, shrouded in mist but moving as fast and confidently as ever. Then it occurred to him why she was doing this: to buy them time. Which meant Percy needed to help.**

 **He thought furiously, trying to come up with a way to defeat Misery. How could he fight when he couldn't touch anything?**

 **On Akhlys's third attack, Annabeth wasn't so lucky. She tried to veer aside, but the goddess grabbed Annabeth's wrist and pulled her hard, sending her sprawling.**

Tension crept into the air and no one said a thing.

 **Before the goddess could pounce, Percy advanced, yelling and waving his sword. He still felt about as solid as a Kleenex, but his anger seemed to help him move faster.**

 **"Hey, Happy!" he yelled.**

"Happy?" Multiple people asked incredulously.

 **Akhlys spun, dropping Annabeth's arm. "Happy?" she demanded.**

No one commented on the repeat.

 **"Yeah!" He ducked as she swiped at his head. "You're downright cheerful!"**

 **"Arggh!" She lunged again, but she was off balance.**

 **Percy sidestepped and backed away, leading the goddess farther from Annabeth.**

 **"Pleasant!" he called. "Delightful!"**

"And we wonder why almost all the immortals you've met wish to kill you…" Leo groaned, with Percy grinning sheepishly in response.

 **The goddess snarled and winced. She stumbled after Percy. Each compliment seemed to hit her like sand in the face.**

 **"I will kill you slowly!" she growled, her eyes and nose watering, blood dripping from her cheeks. "I will cut you into pieces as a sacrifice to Night!"**

"Ouch."

 **Annabeth struggled to her feet. She started rifling through her pack, no doubt looking for something that might help.**

 **Percy wanted to give her more time. She was the brains. Better for him to get attacked while she came up with a brilliant plan.**

 **"Cuddly!" Percy yelled. "Fuzzy, warm, and huggable!"**

"I've given up trying to comment," Thalia groaned in frustration.

Percy winced at that yet no one seemed to notice.

"At least its working," Hazel commented.

 **Akhlys made a growling, choking noise, like a cat having a seizure.**

 **"A slow death!" she screamed. "A death from a thousand poisons!"**

"Ouch."

 **All around her, poisonous plants grew and burst like overfilled balloons. Green-and-white sap trickled out, collecting into pools, and began flowing across the ground toward Percy. The sweet-smelling fumes made his head feel wobbly.**

 **"Percy!" Annabeth's voice sounded far away. "Uh, hey, Miss Wonderful! Cheerful! Grins! Over here!"**

"And the Daughter of Athena approves of it," Piper teased. "Does that mean its good?"

"Judgements cannot be trusted down there," Annabeth responded.

 **But the goddess of misery was now fixated on Percy. He tried to retreat again. Unfortunately the poison ichor was flowing all around him now, making the ground steam and the air burn. Percy found himself stuck on an island of dust not much bigger than a shield. A few yards away, his backpack smoked and dissolved into a puddle of goo. Percy had nowhere to go.**

 **He fell to one knee. He wanted to tell Annabeth to run, but he couldn't speak. His throat was as dry as dead leaves.**

 **He wished there were water in Tartarus—some nice pool he could jump into to heal himself, or maybe a river he could control. He'd settle for a bottle of Evian.**

 **"You will feed the eternal darkness," Akhlys said. "You will die in the arms of Night!"**

"I'm sorry, I can't stay anymore," Percy whispered, getting up and leaving to his room.

Others sent worried glances at him but stayed seated.

 **He was dimly aware of Annabeth shouting, throwing random pieces of drakon jerky at the goddess. The white-green poison kept pooling, little streams trickling from the plants as the venomous lake around him got wider and wider.**

 **Lake, he thought. Streams. Water.**

"Not a good idea," Nico muttered.

"No choice brother," Sarina mumbled for the first time since beginning the chapter.

 **Probably it was just his brain getting fried from poison fumes, but he croaked out a laugh. Poison was liquid. If it moved like water, it must be partially water.**

 **He remembered some science lecture about the human body being mostly water. He remembered extracting water from Jason's lungs back in Rome.… If he could control that, then why not other liquids?**

Everyone was completed silent.

 **It was a crazy idea. Poseidon was the god of the sea, not of every liquid everywhere.**

 **Then again, Tartarus had its own rules. Fire was drinkable. The ground was the body of a dark god.**

"Mhm," Nico nodded in approval. "Wondered when anyone was going to notice that."

 **The air was acid, and demigods could be turned into smoky corpses.**

 **So why not try? He had nothing left to lose.**

"He did," Hazel whispered. "His trust in himself."

 **He glared at the poison flood encroaching from all sides. He concentrated so hard that something inside him cracked—as if a crystal ball had shattered in his stomach.**

"Bad," Nico muttered. "Bad bad bad bad."

 **Warmth flowed through him. The poison tide stopped.**

"Worse." Sure everyone could tell.

 **The fumes blew away from him—back toward the goddess. The lake of poison rolled toward her in tiny waves and rivulets.**

"Even worse." Like that wasn't obvious.

 **Akhlys shrieked. "What is this?"**

 **"Poison," Percy said. "That's your specialty, right?"**

Hazel and Piper looked sick and essentially everyone else went pale.

 **He stood, his anger growing hotter in his gut. As the flood of venom rolled toward the goddess, the fumes began to make her cough. Her eyes watered even more.**

 **Oh, good, Percy thought. More water.**

"Stop Percy, stop," Jason muttered continuously.

 **Percy imagined her nose and throat filling with her own tears.**

 **Akhlys gagged. "I—" The tide of venom reached her feet, sizzling like droplets on a hot iron. She wailed and stumbled back.**

"It's not even Percy anymore," Thalia muttered in shock.

 **"Percy!" Annabeth called.**

 **She'd retreated to the edge of the cliff, even though the poison wasn't after her. She sounded terrified. It took Percy a moment to realize she was terrified of him.**

Everyone looked to Annabeth.

"I was," she breathed.

 **"Stop…" she pleaded, her voice hoarse.**

 **He didn't want to stop. He wanted to choke this goddess. He wanted to watch her drown in her own poison. He wanted to see just how much misery Misery could take.**

"That's painful," Leo commented, any humour gone from his face.

 **"Percy, please…" Annabeth's face was still pale and corpse-like, but her eyes were the same as always. The anguish in them made Percy's anger fade.**

"Good." Nico, of course.

 **He turned to the goddess. He willed the poison to recede, creating a small path of retreat along the edge of the cliff.**

 **"Leave!" he bellowed.**

 **For an emaciated ghoul, Akhlys could run pretty fast when she wanted to.**

"Not the time for jokes," Frank said, looking pale.

 **She scrambled along the path, fell on her face, and got up again, wailing as she sped into the dark.**

 **As soon as she was gone, the pools of poison evaporated. The plants withered to dust and blew away.**

 **Annabeth stumbled toward him. She looked like a corpse wreathed in smoke, but she felt solid enough when she gripped his arms.**

 **"Percy, please don't ever…" Her voice broke in a sob. "Some things aren't meant to be controlled. Please."**

"Yes."

 **His whole body tingled with power, but the anger was subsiding. The broken glass inside him was beginning to smooth at the edges.**

"Brilliant."

 **"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, okay."**

 **"We have to get away from this cliff," Annabeth said. "If Akhlys brought us here as some kind of sacrifice…"**

"No one wants to know." Hazel.

 **Percy tried to think. He was getting used to moving with the Death Mist around him. He felt more solid, more like himself. But his mind still felt stuffed with cotton.**

 **"She said something about feeding us to the night," he remembered. "What was that about?"**

 **The temperature dropped. The abyss before them seemed to exhale.**

"Bad…" Jason muttered.

"Yes, because we couldn't tell," Annabeth snapped back.

 **Percy grabbed Annabeth and backed away from the edge as a presence emerged from the void— a form so vast and shadowy, he felt like he understood the concept of dark for the first time.**

"Even worse."

 **"I imagine," said the darkness, in a feminine voice as soft as coffin lining, "that she meant Night, with a capital N. After all, I am the only one."**

"Done," Sarina said quietly, slamming the book shut. "We can don't read anymore. For now until after the war~"

* * *

 **Word Count: 1751 words (Or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: Uh, heh, rushed chapters~ And my first ever review responses for Facades~_

yazbk2988: Why thank you~ Chapter 14 (I'm estimating here, and its kinda a spoiler) will likely to have a bit of Percy-Leo things, I think, and Chapter 17 (still estimating) is almost completely confirmed to have something~ Sarina sends... a series of fangirling that I probably will not transfer here...

Death Fury: Thank you so much for continuously reviewing~

goldenlynx16: Maybe maybe not~ It would be under Nico's share of (insert kinda spoilers here). Sorry!

Guest (Judy Rush): Thank you, but the length of my chapters would be simply my issue, wouldn't it? (winks)

 _Thank you so much for the reviews~_

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	13. Ch13: Rants or Secrets

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras, Akhlys, Kronos, the Fates, Nyx, Tartarus, Iapetus (Bob), Poseidon**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

Thalia and Nico were discussing what could have happened to Annabeth and Percy down in Tartarus while Jason glared at them in jealously. Why was the Son of Hades closer to his sister than he himself was? It wasn't fair! Jason knew he shouldn't be thinking such thoughts but he really couldn't help it. Hazel was leaning onto Frank, who had an arm over her in a small, protective and slight embrace. On the other hand, Piper was really just seated there awkwardly. Annabeth was leaning onto Percy, who had re-entered the room, for comfort who was leaning onto Leo for comfort who was hugging Percy to give him comfort.

"So-o…" Nico started awkwardly.

"Great conversation starter," Jason scoffed.

"Well I'm so sorry that its in my genes to be socially awkward," Nico snapped back.

"Never mind! Ignore Jason, he can be an idiot at times," Thalia cut in before things could go south, as well as adding a curious question of her own. "Anyway, Sarina, anything you want to say about what happens next? You left us on a cliffhanger there,"

Sarina glared in response and burst out into a rant. "Seriously? This whole thing is for all of you nine to bond, although I don't really understand why now, of all times. Then you have to go ask me about Tartarus. Ask a gods-damned Tartarus survivor about Tartarus. Sure I was only in there for like a few minutes, but I'd think you, of all people Thalia, you're twenty-three for gods-damned sake! You, Thalia, would have the most people sense! Maybe you should worry more about each other! Then, only then, will I be able to go back to my time. Then you won't have to deal with me and I won't have to deal with you! That's right! Maybe you should talk to each other more, understand each other more! Like, sorry you two, but maybe Leo and Percy! Are you not completely and utterly curious and confused about their platonic relationship with each other?"

The demigods found her words quite true.

She paused for a breath and calmed herself down a little, continuing sadly. "I'm not even one of you but I think I know more about each of you as of now. That's miserable, absolutely miserable. You're flying off into a quest together and right now? You don't know much about each other. How will you ever survive against the upcoming battle? I'm not normally one to ruin the mood or tell my seniors off, in case you haven't noticed but I'm only thirteen, but really! Maybe its the Minerva ancestry speaking, but logically, you should understand each other and your reactions at the very least. That helps in battle! Anata wa bakada!*"

Everyone fell silent, captive in their own thoughts.

"In the end, nothing matters," she mutters in irritation before perking up. "If no one wants to initiate anything, I would like to… A secret you've never told anyone before, more than half of the people here does not know of and helps you bond and is insightful to your personality, or a rant that centers around you and only you. Unique, that's the word for it. A secret or a rant."

Needless to say, she was on the receiving end of many glares from essentially all the other demigods.

"I hate to say this… ("Hubris! Acceptance is just the first step to enlightenment, dearest Annabeth," Sarina all but sang in excitement.)" Annabeth grumbled. "But the kid is right."

The demigods were shocked but well, if Annabeth, who was not only the most prideful of the group but also the most level-headed, was able to accept that they had to bond together and that the young demigoddess's idea wasn't a a bad one, they had to accept it too, in a way.

"So… If no one starts, I'm going to get out my randomiser and randomise your name orders. Should I be in it? Nah, I think you'll learn more about me some other time. After all, anything I say now could be considered something you don't know…" Sarina trailed off, getting out a phone from her pocket.

"Woah there," Frank gaped. "Has no one taught you the rule with demigods and technology? Technology-"

"Attracts monsters, yes. But its futuristic and who knows what Hephaestus campers will do with technology and the Archimedes Sphere?"

A grin crept onto Leo's face. "Oh. My. Gods! Thanks so much for the idea!"

"Ah yes… So… Let's start with our praetor, or should I say, former praetor?" Sarina grinned. "Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter and Beryl Grace, sister to Thalia Grace, champion of Juno, defeater of Krios, the one who toppled the black throne of Kronos, slayer of the Trojan sea monster, former praetor of Camp Jupiter, it is your choice. Rant, or secret? … That was a bit too formal for me, but seriously, cognata Jason, make your choice."

"Uh… Firstly, I'd like to do a secret and secondly, why do you keep putting 'cousin' in front of my name?" Jason replied.

"Because you are my only Roman cousin! So that deserves a special title!" Sarina answered cheerfully.

"Why don't I get a title?" Percy pouted.

"Yes you do. You got one in Spanish. I think Leo caught it."

Leo flat-out laughed. "Yes! Your title was valientemente idiota y leal, which is Spanish for idiotically loyal and brave."

Percy flushed red.

"Jason, continue?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way," Jason pleaded. "I'm tired of living."

And all their facades went up.

"Jason," Hazel started slowly and treading carefully, seeing as how this was likely to be a sensitive topic. "Are you… suicidal?"

Thalia had much less tack.

 _(Um… All little kids please skip the next paragraph… Although it seems unlikely that you're reading a T rated book when you're a little kid…)_

"What the fuck?" She burst out. "What the fuck caused you to want to kill yourself?!"

Leo nudged Percy, silently emphasising the care Thalia showed for Jason. Nobody else noticed this subtle action.

"As I said, don't take this the wrong way!" Jason sighed in exasperation. "I'm not suicidal, more specifically, I'm tired of living the life of a demigod. There's stress, just so much stress. If anything, its especially being a child of the big three."

Everyone sighed in relief. It wouldn't be very good if someone was suicidal… But why would they be? (Well, maybe excluding the wars, the expectations, the pressure, the impending misfortune… That's actually a lot and everything…)

* * *

*Anata wa bakada!- Japanese (Romanji, specifically) for You idiots!

* * *

 **Word Count: 1089 words (or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: I'm tired and half-dead and sick of life. Anyone else finds anything ironical here? I'm laughing hysterically internally, being sadistic me~ Don't mind me. Apparently being hIgH is possible when I'm tired. Ha~ Triggers are gonna be coming on in full force around Chapter 17 onwards~ If I planned correctly, that is~_

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	14. Ch14: Revelations and Explosions

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras, Akhlys, Kronos, the Fates, Nyx, Tartarus, Iapetus (Bob), Poseidon**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

Percy really couldn't stand it anymore, his ADHD was acting up. Why was everyone so silent?

"So, who's next?" He blurted out.

"Hm... Leonidas Valdez, Son of Hephaestus and Esperanza Valdez, first fire wielder in goodness knows how long, one of the Seven..." Sarina started before trailing off. "I am so tempted to add your future titles but I can't, not right now! Stupid Fates and not being allowed to spoil the future... Besides the point, Leo, make your choice. Rants, or secrets?"

"Huh? What?! Can't someone else go and volunteer as a tribute?!" Leo yelped frantically.

Piper chuckled at the last statement. "And let the 43rd Hunger Games begin and may the odds be ever in your favour!"

... Basically everyone else other than Leo, Piper and Sarina were confused, not getting the reference. No one volunteered as tribute either, not like many of them really understood the reference.

"So have you decided, Leo?" Annabeth asked impatiently after about two minutes, already looking done with the whole idea of bonding.

"Yes, I've decided that this is stupid," Leo declared.

Sarina stopped chuckling to herself like a madwoman and glared at Leo. Let's just say, her glare was just slightly less scary than Nico's, and Nico glares hard.

"Its the truth, Death Girl," Leo snarled in a very un-Leo-like manner.

Really, it was so clearly directed towards Sarina, yet Hazel couldn't help but feel targeted as well, being a Daughter of Pluto as well.

"Well, call me whatever you want," Sarina muttered lowly. "But don't call my ideas terrible, they all have a reasoning behind them if I've presented them, because my gods-damned fatal flaw wouldn't allow me to otherwise."

"Perfection? Is that your fatal flaw? And what do you, of all people, know about me?" Leo snapped, standing up.

"Enough, I know enough about you, about all of you," she muttered, shaking her head sadly, all the while continuously glaring and the ground and clenching and unclenching her right fist repeatedly. "More than enough and enough and not enough. They're all the same, aren't they? They're just a matter of perception. I know your fatal flaws, Minerva wouldn't let that slip past me. I know your stories, a rough idea of them, I've read the stories and heard them too, from your points of view too. I can infer your pasts, none of them were very pleasant. But in the end, its all just a matter of perception, isn't it? My opinion on the matter doesn't matter, right? No, my fatal flaw is not too different from yours, Leo dearest. It is, in fact, exactly the same."

"Its not possible," Leo murmured, yet his voice level was rising with every word, his body tensing, flames encircling his arms. "Your chances of a fatal flaw are better as holding grudges like Nico, or pride, like Annabeth, but not mine! You haven't gone through anything that makes you feel like I do. Me? My mother died when I was eight, because of my powers, my fire! I've run away from so many foster homes, I've long lost count! You think you know so much, you prideful legacy of Minerva-" Cue a flinch and a sad look from Sarina. "-but face it! There'll always be something you won't ever know! You probably never knew that I built Festus on the ship because I was feeling left out, not because I was bored! Did you? You know Percy?-" Cue a warning look from Percy that Leo ignored. "-He's probably the only one I fully and completely trust with my secrets and life! He knew before all of this, he knew this before all of you, he understands, unlike all of you! You know of my tendency of running away from foster homes, all of you, but have you ever considered the fact that I may have wanted to run away from CHB or the Argo II before? I have! You know nothing about me!"

The room was in silence for a few long moments, with only the heavy breathing of Leo to fill the silence. Then, Percy broke it.

Okay, Percy didn't actually break the silence, but he broke the stillness of the room, walking over to Leo and embracing him. The others all followed his example, with the exception of Aphrodite, Apollo and Sarina.

Jason, probably the friendliest person to the others on the ship, signalled to them to join the hug. Apollo and Aphrodite complied, but Sarina sat there, continuously glaring at the ground.

"Are you quite done yet?" Sarina asked lowly, not meeting anyone's gaze.

Leo seemed startled by the number of people hugging him as everyone broke apart and sat down in a circle again. "So do I have to do the rant or secret thing now?"

"No. That quite counted as both. Frank Zhang, Son of Mars and Emily Zhang, Legacy of Poseidon, shapeshifter, current praetor of the Twelfth Legion, one of the Seven," Sarina murmured quietly. "Rant or secret?"

"... Secret, I guess," Frank muttered. "During the quest... Mars and Ares were being irritating, talking in my head. No, not talking, shouting. For some reason... they both agreed to kill Leo... Both wanted to behead him, but Ares wanted to dip him in acid before beheading him...-" Cue an outraged cry from Leo. "Then Mars wanted to kick the Greeks off the ship-" The said Greeks looked purely miffed. "And Ares didn't like Romans much either and wanted me to ditch the Romans and behead them too." The Romans didn't look too happy either.

"Sounds like Ares and Mars," Annabeth scoffed. "Of course, two war gods in your head. How did you not kill any of us yet?"

"I don't know," Frank shrugged.

The room fell into a sort of awkward silence, the demigods shuffling nervously.

"Sarina, are you okay?" Hazel asked her half-sister in concern.

"Okay or not okay? Just a matter of perception..." Sarina grinned softly. "Shall we continue? Break the silence and bond, shall you? I want to go home already and I'm sure you all wish to return to your homes too, since no matter what, you're still teenagers, not completely ready to face the world yet. Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena and Fredrick Chase, Head Counselor of Cabin 6, Architect of Olympus, Wanderer of Tartarus, Heroine of Olympus… A bunch of other stuff that I never actually bothered to remember… Your turn."

* * *

 **Word Count: 1070 words (or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: I have issues. I think I just ruined the whole think of "class bondedness" accidentally with two of my friends. We tore down the entire thing with angst. I'm laughing. Someone forgot who I am even after a year. I'm still laughing. I have issues. Serious issues. Ha! I established that in March. Well, before I actually get my insane bout for today..._

 _Peace out!  
_ _Summer)_


	15. Ch15: Rants and Rants

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras, Akhlys, Kronos, the Fates, Nyx, Tartarus, Iapetus (Bob), Poseidon**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

"I was going to do a secret, like my crush on Luke or something like that," Annabeth started, standing up. "But I think I'll do a rant."

Percy grumbled something under his breath in frustration.

"A rant… directed at the Olympians…" Annabeth took a deep breath and started.

"So, yeah, all of you gods, I get it, when you do things, sometimes you are trying to help us, but sometimes it really would help if someone had an inkling of an idea! I get it Hera, switching Jason and Percy was for the betterment of the two camps! But maybe, you'd think that a little heads up for maybe… Chiron? That could help! Well, it wouldn't help the entire camp, but at least someone other than you would have a tiny inkling on what was going on! We're not just pawns on a chessboard for you to manipulate! We're living beings too!-"

Here, Annabeth stopped for a breath and raised her voice to imitate the gods. Which one? No one knew. Her voice neared hysteria and her eyes seemed partially crazed, scaring practically everyone in the room.

"-Here! I have a quest for you! Actually, you have no option to decline it because I have to save my image! Fight! Fear! Die! Whatever! It doesn't matter because in the end, you're not really our legitimate kids! You're just the unfortunate results of flings or affairs that we have when we're bored!-"

Here, Annabeth took another break for air, her voice going back to normal, the hysteria fading.

"-We're already borderlining two worlds, can be harmed by both, can harm both, can save both, can be affected by both! Act like parents for once and maybe just care and not just talk to us when you need us to do your dirty work and save the world for you over and over again!"

No one said anything for a while, especially not the two gods (who were so quiet that anyone could forget that they were there).

"I'm done," Annabeth huffed, breathing heavily and sitting down again.

"Okay… Next… Hazel Levesque, Daughter of Pluto and Marie Levesque, Tamer of Arion, Favourite of Hectate, one of the Seven… Your choice…" Sarina prompted.

"Uh... I'm going to do a rant..." Hazel muttered, staying seated.

Several eyebrows were raised at that. Hazel was by far the most docile and the least likely to come up with a rant out of everyone there.

"So... you know at school?" She started.

Several mutters could be heard at that, memories brought up by the question.

"They... can be mean, for a lack of better wording. They, as in the students. You see, when you're in the outs with everyone and everyone is in their own little... what's the modern word for it?… Clique, right? I get it! Having cliques isn't necessarily a bad thing, but having exclusive cliques are! You know, the one where they don't let anyone else be included? That kind. Some people think its not that really big of a deal, that even if they're in a clique, they still include others. Yet we all know that's not really true."

Hazel paused for a breath and looked around, ensuring that her words sunk in.

"In the past-past, I wasn't really welcome. Everyone had their own little clique and I was the little shut-out cursed child. No one wanted to associate with me because of my mother. She was said to be a witch, sadly. Of course, she had to help Earth rise too but that's another story… Besides the point, everyone didn't simply shut me out and leave me be, they had to pick on me too!"

Frank gripped Hazel's hand tightly and sent a comforting smile at her as she stopped for another breath.

"Of course, it hurt. What else would I have expected? For it to feel like nectar and ambrosia? It was a painful reminder that my life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, unlike most of them. Of course, it definitely didn't help that people back then were generally cruel. Then later, after I died and came back to life again, Camp Jupiter… It wasn't like the past, but it wasn't amazing either. It didn't help that I was placed in the Fifth Cohort- no offence- and it didn't help that I was a child of Pluto and it also most definitely didn't help that I was cursed! I never asked for any of that, not anything! The curse especially, it caused much more trouble compared to good!"

"Fire," Leo monotoned, raising an eyebrow as he summoned some fire, daring the others to say otherwise.

"Expectations," Jason supplied. "On a Son of Jupiter."

"Non-Apollo archer in a Roman front?" (Frank)

"Nothing obvious for a power…" (Annabeth)

"Freaky death powers that scare off everyone…?" (Nico)

"Electric powers. That I never wanted in the first place." (Thalia)

"Underestimated as a Daughter of Aphrodite." (Piper)

"Uh… Fear of suffocating or drowning even with water powers…?" (Percy)

"I didn't even want to be a stupid demigod. Stupid complications to life." (Sarina)

Everyone exchanged glances (Well… Ignore Aphrodite pouting in the corner and Apollo being Apollo.), not sure what to do with the information.

"Uh… next? Piper McLean, Daughter of Aphrodite and Tristan McLean, Head Counselor of Cabin Ten (Aphrodite's Cabin) Charmspeaker, one of the Seven… Whatever else that I can't remember. Your turn."

Here, Piper mumbled something along the lines of "What am I doing with my life? Saving the world instead of being a normal teen and staying at home…"

"I'm going to do a rant."

"You see, I think about everyone knows about my relationship with my father...-"

Nods from around.

"-...It hurts a lot, not being noticed, always being pushed away, etcetera. Of course, not all of it was his fault... At least I hope so... Regardless whether it was meant or not, it hurt. Then with Jane as well, it was starting to be irritating, like really really irritating. So one day, I finally snapped and stole some things to attempt to get my dad's attention. At first it was little things like pens and books from bookstores... Later it grew to bigger things like whole purses and bags... then cars... That's how I ended up in Wilderness School, stealing a BMW. Also, the fact that Jane all but hated me and my father was 'tired of putting up of my shit', in Jane's words, didn't help either... I think that's it."

* * *

 **Word Count: 1081 words (or somewhere around there)**

* * *

 _(A/N: I'm in a good mood today, so I'm answering the latest reviews, I guess._

KilliPerri: Hahaha. No. I wish.

goldenlynx16: Give me a moment let me bang my head on the wall... I really should check where my inspirations come from eh? Sorry Calefe! (Credits to her for these parts that have to do with secret/rant.)

Death Fury: Thank you, as always!

boredom. txt: No, not really. As long as people enjoy my story, I'm fine. That's what I write for after all, for other people's enjoyment. Also, it's better than the alternative of flames and hates. (Like on I Know Myself *sobs*... JK, I'm long over that.)

 _Thank you for the reviews and support~ Uh, I think someone asked my updating schedule? I don't have one. This was originally my writers' block book. Then I drew a complete blank on oGaP. I'll probably update one last chapter and abandon it. *sighs* Pokémon just isn't my thing anymore._

 _Peace out!  
_ _Summer)_


	16. Ch16: Secretive and Fearful

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras, Akhlys, Kronos, the Fates, Nyx, Tartarus, Iapetus (Bob), Poseidon, the Fates**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

"Nico di Angelo," Sarina broke the silence. "Son of Hades and Maria di Angelo, Ghost King, Hero of Olympus, Ambassador of Pluto… Your choice is?"

"None of your business," Nico snapped in return.

Sarina sighed in exasperation, before staring up at the ceiling. "Why do I have a feeling the last of you three will give me the most problems?"

"Because they will," Annabeth interjected, the other demigods backing her up.

Sarina grunted and muttered something under her breath about low blows, crossing lines and pissing people off, before letting silence reign.

"Say something, or there'll be more desperate measures, like showing memories," she deadpanned after a while. "Truth serums, Charmspeak and… other even more desperate measures that I don't want to resort to."

"No," Nico retorted. "You may be my sister but you don't boss me around."

"Or maybe I will. Stop acting like an immature idiot, firstly. Secondly, tell a secret or rant. Its really your choice."

"No."

"I didn't want to do this," Sarina said softly and sadly. "But I wonder what Bianca would say."

Some people (Percy, Thalia, Annabeth and Hazel) sent her warning looks like "Why in Hades' name did you say that, you know he's not over it yet!"

Something snapped in Nico, his eyes were all but glowing and he radiated pure deathly fury. Essentially everyone flinched away but his two sisters, not affected the slightest bit by the show of power.

"You. Shut. Up."

"No, I think- no, I know- she's probably really disappointed. I wonder what she's thinking of her little brother. You know, if she didn't try for re-"

"Shut up shut up shut up shut UP! You don't have the slightest idea about me or her, you don't have the right to talk about her like you know her like I do!" Nico screamed, nearing hysteria. "You don't get how much it HURT when she left me for the Hunters of Artemis, you definitely don't know how much it hurt when she died and you don't know how it still hurts, even after all these years! How much I wanted to kill Percy for revenge back then, and how I still do sometimes!"

Percy looked upset and guilty at this, looking away, not meeting anyone's gaze. "I'm sorry," he muttered lowly. "I was and I still am."

"You don't KNOW how overwhelming the fear of being all alone in the world was as a child, how it was so easy to be manipulated and used, how much the hurt was when I realised I played a pretty big role in starting the Battle of the Labyrinth! I all but caused those innocent demigods deaths! I'm not even from this time, I should be dead and half the time, I wonder why I'm still alive and bothering to bother with other lifeforms!"

For some reason, Leo seemed as if he could relate and Hazel seemed purely offended.

"It just hurts so much being around people and… I'm not even going to bother trying to fit in because I know that no matter where I go, even with the new Hades cabin which was to 'include all gods', I'm still an outcast due to my heritage!"

At this point, both Hazel and Sarina were offended. Did he really forget they technically had the same godly parent?

"And it doesn't even matter because no one cares and no one bothers to care!" Nico finished, panting like Mrs O'Leary after a long while of shadow travelling.

"Fine. I see my place here," Sarina huffed in irritation, crossing her arms. "I'm leaving after Thalia and Percy, no matter whether the Fates want me to stay or not."

A note fluttered to the ground and Frank picked it up to read aloud.

 _To: Sarina_

 _You will have to stay no matter what until we deem the timing fit._

 _From: The Fates_

"Stupid gods," she muttered. "Thinking they can control everything."

Another note came down, and Frank read it out again.

 _To: Sarina_

 _Careful, we don't want an angry god to smite you, do we?_

 _From: The Fates_

"Cover the kids' ears," she muttered, turning to face the ceiling while Thalia covered Nico's (who shrugged her off in irritation but failed) while Frank covered Hazel's (who happily consented) and Annabeth muttered something about Sarina technically being the youngest out of all of them. "LISTEN HERE FATES, I DON'T GIVE A SINGLE FUCK!"

No notes came down but it felt as if the world was sighing, giving up on trying to see reason with the young demigoddess.

Nico shook off Thalia's grasp and glared at his sister and the Hunter. Hazel just looked pale when Frank removed his hands, the palms not nearly thick enough to block out the words.

"Whatever," she huffed. "I think Nico's counted as a rant. So, Thalia Grace, Daughter of Zeus and Beryl Grace, Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, Hero of Olympus, former pine tree… Spill."

"You don't control me."

"Told you so~" Leo half-sang.

"I knew that. Just a secret, please Thalia?" Sarina pleaded. "A small secret that no one knows?"

"Fine," Thalia huffed, crossing her arms. "I want to quit the Hunters. It doesn't seem fun anymore and I don't want to stay forever 15 years and 364 days old while you all grow older."

"Aww," Piper cooed.

"You care?" Jason asked.

Thalia nodded slowly. "How about Percy goes now?"

"Alright. Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson, Head Counselor of Cabin 3, defeater of Ares and Kronos and Hyperion and Iapetus, Wanderer of Tartarus, Hero of Olympus and so much more… Your turn?" Sarina inquired.

Percy sighed and stared at the ceiling like "why me?"

"I'm going to tell a secret!" He announced with forced cheerfulness that only Leo could see through.

Everyone else (with the exception of Leo) was leaning in in anticipation. Percy was normally an open book, what sort of secret would he have? (A lot, apparently…)

"All food I eat is blue!"

Many disgruntled sighs sounded from throughout the room, except Leo was trying to stifle his laughter (though failing terribly).

"Seaweed Brain. You heard what Sarina said, right?" Annabeth groaned aloud. "A secret that more than half of us does not know about. I'm pretty sure all of us know about your blue food tendencies. Why don't you just do it properly, I mean, it's not like you have much to hide!"

Basically all the demigods nodded their approval, with the exception of Leo (who knew what was going on) and Sarina (who tended to remain neutral as far as possible).

Percy's face darkened and he muttered a half-hearted excuse before standing up and running out of the room.

* * *

 **Word Count: About 1117 words**

* * *

 _(A/N: Sue me. Ha. Don't look at my midnight poems ever. What was I even doing? And my predictions are accurate yay. Next chapter onwards comes heavy angst._

boredom . txt:  Neither

Death Fury and ItsJustABook: Thank you! :D

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	17. Ch17: Addiction and Emotions (tw)

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras, Akhlys, Kronos, the Fates, Nyx, Tartarus, Iapetus (Bob), Poseidon, the Fates**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

As soon as Percy disappeared, Leo got quickly up and left from the room too, though not without last words.

"I hope that you all know that everyone has their own facades sometimes."

The chilling words, said in such a cold voice they had never deemed possible from the Son of Hephaestus, sent shivers down their backs.

Silence reigned in the room and everyone stared at the floor. If looks could affect objects, the floor would have had multiple holes burnt in it.

The door slammed shut.

Chaos ensued.

* * *

Percy found himself running through the corridors. Having not explored the place yet, he simply took multiple twists and turns, before finding a room that seemed somewhat hidden and dashing into it. He closed the door instantly and sighed. Tears were streaming down his face as he faced his back towards the back of the door and leant back, sliding down, sighing and crying at the same time.

The room was practically filled with different electronics. MP3s, iPhones, Samsungs, Androids, Droids, Drones, Robots, etc. Percy hoped that they were monster proof, or that wherever it is that they was was inaccessible to monsters.

Ha. Just a wish.

But who cared anyways?

* * *

Leo ran through the corridors, frantically racing through them all. He couldn't stop, who knew what his friend could do in the time that passed by before the latter could be found.

Where was the Son of Poseidon?

On a side note, when did Leo lose his amazing tracking skills? When did Percy learn how to outmanoeuvre one of the best trackers?

…Blame the ADHD…

* * *

"Hashtag bonding plan backfire (#bondingplanbackfire)," Sarina muttered to herself in slight amusement as accusations were thrown around the room, Sarina herself all but blending into the shadows, not on the receiving end of any of the accusations due to her… abilities… and lack of participation…

The original accusation was thrown at Annabeth from Jason, who had said something about not caring for his bro.

Annabeth had snapped back sharply, saying that all of them agreed with her and were at no less of a fault compared to her.

That's where it all went downhill, Piper defending Jason and vice versa, Frank and Hazel defending each other, Thalia and Nico defending each other, Annabeth and Thalia defending each other, Nico and Hazel defending each other, Jason and Hazel defending each other, Jason and Frank defending each other, Jason defending Nico. (Jason had a sudden strange care for the Son of Hades that nobody bothered to question. Nico did not return it.) All the different pairs all on the defensive from other pairs, of course.

They seemed like they wouldn't stop for quite some time, without outside interferences of course. Eris must be pleased.

* * *

Percy found himself a pair of earphones and connected them to an MP3, finding himself the song that he was looking for. He didn't know when he first found it but it was roughly a few years ago, or how he did, but he liked the song very much nevertheless.

If only someone else could share the same views as him…

On a second thought, how could he have forgotten about Leo, his childhood almost-twin? Leo would know. Only, it would be all but impossible to find him in such a big place. (He had gotten himself lost on the way to breakfast that morning, don't even talk about finding Leo. He himself simply found this room by complete accident and coincidence.)

* * *

Leo was getting more frustrated and worried by the second.

He was frustrated since the Son of Poseidon was nowhere to be found and was worried since the Son of Poseidon was nowhere to be found. Hey! They had the same reasons!

…Still blaming the ADHD!

Back to the point, how long more could Percy last without resorting to more… extreme methods?

* * *

"Sacrifices must be made, I guess… As much as I wish to stay incognito… " Sarina muttered to herself, sighing in exasperation.

The scene had progressed from bad to worse. Really, you'd expect these teenagers to be way more mature… But they aren't, apparently.

"SHUT UP!" She yelled in exasperation, and everyone followed rightfully.

An angry child of Hades or an angry descendant of Athena or an angry girl or, in this case, all three, are not good to have to deal with.

"You know, we could do a lot more than just argue with each other. The whole point of this was so that you would bond with each other. If you really cared, you'd be out searching for Percy and Leo!" Sarina deadpanned. "Common sense."

Well, let's just say the demigods were embarrassed that another demigod, younger than them no less, was able to see more sense than them.

With some leftover glares at each other, the demigods split into pairs and headed out. Piper with Jason, Frank with Hazel, Nico with Sarina and Thalia with Annabeth.

Recipe for disaster? Probably.

* * *

It didn't matter, Leo didn't really truly care, his friends didn't know and definitely didn't care, the gods didn't care, his mom couldn't ever know, he was a alone, nobody cared. Nobody with a lower case N. He could feel waves of worry through something that had popped up, and somehow knew it was from Leo. Leo cared. Or did he really?

Percy breathed out slowly, fiddling with Riptide inside his pocket. He slowly took Riptide out and examined the pen carefully, every little design of it, the pen cap and the pen itself. Then he uncapped it, doing the same with the sword.

Celestial Bronze cuts are extremely dangerous to demigods, aren't they?

* * *

Leo was no a satyr, but even he could tell Percy's emotions were slowly getting more haphazard, more dangerous. He felt little waves through a sort of link, one that he didn't know how he got it or how he knew the emotions were of Percy's. The waves were getting more erratic, then it calmed down slowly, with small spikes of hurt in between. Leo knew there was only one thing that could make Percy's emotions calm down like this, with the intervals of hurt.

He would deny for as long as possible, until he saw his friend.

* * *

Percy closed his eyes, the point of his sword resting on his right wrist. Several red, raw and still bleeding horizontal lacerations were decorated along of his left wrist, so much that it began to feel numb and he had to switch to the other wrist.

He stopped caring some time ago about what people thought.

Percy pressed his sword down, starting a new cut on his right wrist, slowly and carefully. He dragged the Celestial Bronze blade across his wrist slowly, taking pleasure in the crimson blood leaking out of the wound. Blood dripped onto the floor yet he didn't care.

Even after so long of trying to curb his addiction, he supposed nothing had changed. He was still addicted, addicted to his sword, his blade, his pain, his blood. His bright red, yet slightly sticky blood. He enjoyed the feel of the fresh warm blood as it trickled along his arm. Even if he were to be discovered and his scars were to heal, wouldn't the Celestial Bronze cut leave a scar in his soul?

* * *

 **Word Count: 1213 words**

* * *

 _(A/N: There's a published one-shot titled 'Burning and Drowning'. It is about Leo and Percy's past together and has pretty direct ties to this story. It is not compulsory to read it, but it is highly recommended. As I said, heavy triggers (kinda, I guess) in this chapter. I think your feels will start to burn this chapter on. If you're uncomfortable with reading this, please, the close button is right there._

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	18. Ch18: Wires and Memories (tw)

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras, Akhlys, Kronos, the Fates, Nyx, Tartarus, Iapetus (Bob), Poseidon, the Fates**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

That's how Leo found Percy, sitting in a room full of electronics, a Celestial Bronze sword leaning against his side. Percy's wrists were raw and bleeding, red staining the floor around him. Earphones were plugged in to an MP3, and music was blasting into his ears. Leo noted that Percy's eyes were closed and he looked almost serene. Looked.

Through the bond-link-thingy, Leo could feel a hurricane of emotions, slowly building, building, building, building up, up, up, up.

Leo settled himself onto the floor next to Percy and took out some bandages from his tool belt, wrapping the bandages around Percy's wrists carefully. The Son of Poseidon cracked open an eye gently, then snapped both open, yanking his half-bandaged arms away from the Son of Hephaestus, though he regretted his actions almost instantly, feeling a wave of dizziness (from blood loss) wash over him.

"Percy," the Latino coaxed gently. "I know you're feeling done with the world, but at least let me bandage your wrists up so you don't die of blood loss."

"But I want to die," Percy muttered weakly, still hugging his arms to his chest, but removing his earphones.

"But I won't let you, though I'm no doctor," Leo whispered.

"I hate all of this. Why am I always part of some Great Prophecy? It's tiring. I'm just so done. Whenever I just want to end it all, I'm needed to save the world again. It's tiring and I'm just so so done. Can't I have some peace at all?" Percy mumbled.

Leo kept silent, taking in a new insight of his friend's-no, brother's-life. "I'm sorry, all I ever did or knew how to do was to run away. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you so obviously needed it," Leo breathed, attempting to coax the Son of Poseidon onto his shoulder.

"It's okay, Leo," Percy muttered. "But you can help me by not stopping me now."

Percy stood up, found a platform reached for some cables he had hung securely from the ceiling. Leo noted that it would make a good… noose…

"If you do that, so will I," Leo insisted stubbornly, quickly setting up another similar set-up.

Cables hung from the ceiling and two boxes acted as platforms for the two boys as they were staring stubbornly at each other, each with a cable-noose in hand.

Then Percy suddenly looped the cable around his neck, blood still dripping off his wrists onto the floor since the bandages were half done, and kicked the box-platform away, Leo following suit almost instantly, hanging himself too.

And that was when two children of Hades (not Pluto) rushed the room.

They exchanged a quick glance and split up, Sarina helping to stabilise Leo while Nico stabilising Percy, both gripping the feet of the older teens. Nico had a hard time, what with Percy kicking and struggling and all, but Sarina was fine, once Leo saw that Percy was having help too, at least.

The children of Hades got skeletons to help support the two boys while they themselves cut the cable-nooses using whatever weapons they had on them. The skeletons then lowered the two boys down.

"Nico, you're better at shadow travelling than me. Can you go get the others? I'll take care of them," Sarina whispered.

Nico nodded and slunk away into the shadows. Sarina picked up the earphones and listened to the song playing on repeat, identifying it almost easily and always keeping an eye (or two) on the two boys huddled together, Percy sobbing in Leo's embrace, both seated on the floor. It felt… wrong… to see the Hero of Olympus so vulnerable. Although… in the future… he was more open about it…. Maybe because this had already happened by then? She sighed. Time travelling was confusing. Maybe that would explain how all of them seemed to know her when she first reached camp… Sarina decided she hated time travel.

* * *

Nico emerged from shadow travel… Only to find two pairs bickering. Which pairs? Piper and Jason versus Thalia and Annabeth, or specifically, Annabeth versus Jason.

"-stop pretending you care because we all know you don't!" Annabeth was yelling at Jason, who looked mad but reluctant to yell back at her.

"And could you all kindly shut up and link hands because we're shadow travelling to Percy and Leo now," Nico interrupted darkly, shocking Annabeth, while Jason, Thalia and Piper sent thankful glances at Nico.

They spun away into the shadows not long after.

* * *

The entire group of five stumbled out of the shadows, world spinning and feeling nauseous. Nico slunk into the shadows again, re-emerging not long after with Frank and Hazel. The god and goddess present had both appeared within the room as well, Apollo healing Percy's wounds before anyone else apart from Sarina and Nico had chanced upon the sight. Percy and Leo had tidied themselves up too, ridding themselves of any evidence of tears and crying.

Sarina was still listening to the song. (Honestly though, in her defence, it was a nice song, albeit a little depressing. …Maybe not just a little. Maybe it actually all really depended on the perspective taken. Or maybe that's exactly what it was and no one wanted to admit it, depressing.)

* * *

"What was that about?" Annabeth demanded impatiently.

"That, Miss Chase," Leo snapped back sarcastically, all traces of his joking facade gone. "Was my brother breaking down, thank you very much."

Annabeth was left speechless, rightfully.

Everyone found themselves seated in a circle again. Percy and Leo were seated next to each other, constantly exchanging glances, then staring at the ground again, not meeting anybody else's eyes.

"Brother?" Frank finally found the courage to ask.

Percy and Leo exchanged glances.

"Its been so long I almost forgot about that," Percy laughed shortly. "We-"

"Spoilers!" Apollo interrupted nervously. "So-o, we've decided that we're going to show your memories to everyone, everyone's most important memories to everyone. Okay?"

The demigods were definitely not okay with that, but who could say no to one-no, two, three-, three Olympian gods and one spirit personification?

* * *

 **Word Count: 1015 words**

* * *

 _(A/N: This chapter is trash, I am trash, I am done with life. Okay, I shouldn't ramble here._

 _IMPORTANT NOTE:_ _I will be leaving on vacation in two days and probably won't be able to update for a week and a half or so. If I somehow find the time to write a chapter and internet connection, I will update, I promise. Uh, I swear on the River Styx! I think you may have noticed the sudden influx in one-shots lately? Sorry, I just can't help myself. I now take requests, but no guarantee...!_

 _Important note done, I am still done with life._

 _Peace out!  
Summer)_


	19. Ch19: Frank and Archery

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras, Akhlys, Kronos, the Fates, Nyx, Tartarus, Iapetus (Bob), Poseidon, the Fates**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

They were nervous, but sue them. You would be with all your most important memories and deepest darkest secrets about to come out to all of your friends, that you would have to save the world with.

Oh the joys of being a demigod... No, not really. Being a demigod was overrated, just like life. Death was underrated, being a brilliant release from this endless torture we call life.

A screen appeared and the first slide showed up.

"Frank."

Annabeth read out loud. Hazel leaned into her boyfriend to comfort him and Frank closed his eyes, quickly running through his memories. He didn't have anything big to hide. ...Right? Right. He had essentially nothing to worry about.

With that, the first memory began.

* * *

 _Frank was nervous. His mother, his own mother, had left to fight in a war not too long ago. He had not expected it at all, but what could he have done? Nothing. Then, of course, the officer came and made things a lot worse._

 _"Your mother is a hero, Captain Emily Zhang died trying to save her comrades," the officer had told him while handing him the sacrifice medal._

 _The sacrifice medal, a silver disc on a red and black ribbon, given for death in the line of duty. Why was it given to him like something oh so important? More important would have been getting his mother back, which would be impossible. Then again, the medal was practically the last thing belonging to his mother._

* * *

Everyone was silent watching the memory.

"Sorry for your loss?" Piper offered uncertainly.

Frank clenched his fist. He just hated pity.

* * *

 _Another scene._

 _An entire group of what was probably demigods was some distance behind Reyna and Octavian, all dressed in purple. In front of all of them stood a soldier. Mars. Frank was just a short distance from Mars. Reyna had her hand raised._

 _"...see that play, ref?" Mars was demanding. "That was my kid. First over the wall, won the game for his team. Unless you're blind, that was an MVP play. You're not blind, are you?"_

 _Reyna looked like she felt she was offended and was trying to remain neutral faced. "No, Lord Mars."_

 _"Then make sure he gets the Mural Crown," Mars demanded. "My kid here!" He yelled at legion, in case anyone hadn't heard, which everyone had._

* * *

"Your claiming?" Thalia asked.

Frank nodded.

"And a quest," Hazel added on his behalf, taking a worried glance at him. "We came back just before the Argo II came."

* * *

 _Hazel, Percy and Frank were watching over a hill as a house in the distance burst into flames. Through the flickering hot red lights, a shadow could be seen jumping out of a window. Frank was blinking back tears. Hazel had a reassuring hand on him and Percy was looking on at the scene grimly._

* * *

Frank was blinking back tears, just like in the memory. Hazel had way more than a reassuring hand on him this time, full out embracing him, though not without a touch of pink on her cheeks. Percy just looked away. No one seemed to understand what was going on.

Another slide came up.

"This scene was during their quest. Frank's grandmother's house was attacked by Lagistorians (sp?) and she was supposed to have jumped out of a window to her death."

Frank let out a small sob as the others looked at him in a mix of pity and sadness.

Yet another slide came up.

"Everyone will share a total of four memories, all essential to who they've become today. For all but Percy and Leo (all four of theirs will be personal since theirs are what you all absolutely need to know since you all know next to nothing about them), three will be personal and one will be shared. Welcome to Frank's shared memory."

* * *

 _A much younger Frank (roughly around 8 years old) was lying on a grassy plain with nothing to do. It was pretty clear he was bored out of his mind._

* * *

"Nope nope nope nope..." Leo chanted to himself, receiving strange looks from almost everyone. Percy was just holding back laughter.

"Was it...?" Percy asked.

Leo just nodded and continued to chant quietly to himself. Everyone just accepted it as a Percy-Leo thing.

* * *

 _A much younger looking Leo (also roughly 8 years old) popped up over the plains._

* * *

"Nuh-uh. You are kidding me," Frank gaped at the screen. "That was you?"

"How about... Yes?" Leo responded sheepishly.

* * *

 _"Hello..." Leo waved nervously and quietly._

* * *

"Leo was a quiet kid?" Jason asked incredulously.

Percy and Leo exchanged glances.

"No, not really," Percy responded.

"Yes," Leo answered at the same time.

They were both ignored in the end, all of them not being able to choose which one to believe.

* * *

 _"Hello," Frank answered blandly._

 _"Do you have something interesting to do?" Leo asked, sitting down slowly next to Frank. "I'm bored."_

 _Frank shook his head._

 _"Wait! I've made something. I don't know how to use it. Maybe you could teach me?" Leo offered, holding out a set of bow and arrows._

 _"I'm sorry. I don't know how to use it," Frank replied, taking the set and examining it._

 _"Then keep it! Learn it!" Leo suggested. "I've got to go, bye! Remember me!"_

 _Leo disappeared over the plains, leaving Frank fiddling with the set._

 _He successfully loaded an arrow and fired it onto a tree, then celebrated his success with a whoop._

* * *

"So Leo gave you your first set of bow and arrows while on the run," Annabeth asked, looking at Frank for confirmation.

Frank and Leo both nodded.

"You're absolutely sure," Nico probed.

"Yeah," Leo replied. "Stop prying. Stuff will come up when they will."

There, he exchanged a worried glance with the son of Poseidon, who paled at Leo's words.

* * *

 **Word Count: 969 words**

* * *

 _(A/N: I'm back. And grumpier than ever. But sue me. I. Don't. Care._

 _In all honesty, I'm feeling sad and accomplished that I'm about to finish my first multi chapter fanfic. *gasps* It feels like such an achievement and suddenly my writing doesn't seem like complete crap. Thank you to all you amazing readers who have stuck by me since the very beginning. Honestly, thank you._

 _I had to whip up this chapter in an hour or two. No time or means to write while constantly on the road without an electronic device, paper, or pen. Torturous, I tell you, especially when an amazing idea comes up and I go and forget all about it._

 _Peace,  
_ _Summer)_


	20. Ch20: Piper and Rehabilitation

**Short Summary: What happens when interfering gods and goddesses, broken down teenagers and a ship are added together? Bonding sessions of course! And what comes with bonding sessions? Unravelled secrets! Join our Argo II members (minus one plus another) as the facades of the said demigods are unravelled, slowly but surely./ Rated T for: suicide, abuse, self-harm, etc**

 **Extended Summary: When an interfering spirit personification, who goes by the name of Philotes, and the Queen of the Gods, Hera, work together to attempt to make the Seven, Nico and Thalia more bonded, it starts off with a little bit of Aphrodite-induced-fluff and de-aging via Hebe before plunging past the facades of all of the demigods, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, Apollo style. Of course, the demigods strongly disapprove of this idea, but who says no to a spirit/minor goddess and an Olympian goddess, the Queen of Gods no less? The ones with less internal demons can only watch as their other friends are torn down by bottled emotions, bit by bit.**

 **Main Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leonidas Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace**

 **Side Characters (so far): Hera, Philotes, Hypnos, Aphrodite, Apollo, OC-Sarina**

 **Mentioned Characters (so far): Eris, Oizys, Grover, Artemis, Hera, Zeus, Gabe Ugliano, Medusa, Hades/Pluto, Hebe, Geras, Akhlys, Kronos, the Fates, Nyx, Tartarus, Iapetus (Bob), Poseidon, the Fates**

 **Pairings: low-key Frank/Hazel**

 **Warnings (in general I think, basically stuff to look forward to): Out of Character, Angst, Stealing, Mentions of Drinking, Runaways, Graphic Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Fire, Abuse, Graphic Self-Harm**

 **Personal Warnings: Romance, Friendship and Family fluff aren't really my kind of things to write.**

* * *

Another introductory slide appeared.

"Piper," Frank read out loud as Piper raced through her memories. Nothing too big that she minded people knowing, she confirmed mentally, and she sighed in relief.

* * *

 _Piper was bantering with a salesman, apparently trying to convince the man to give her the car, a BMW, for free. Of course, the salesman wasn't relenting, until Piper used her then-unknown charmspeak._

 _She drove away in the car just two minutes later with the freshly aware salesman threatening to call the police after her._

 _Piper simply laughed at his face and egged him on. Soon enough, police cars were chasing after her._

* * *

"That was what got me landed in Wilderness School," Piper informed them as they looked on in interest.

"Stealing a BMW," Nico commented and Piper looked away in worry of what she thought he would say. Of course, it was the opposite. "Impressive."

Piper brightened up.

* * *

 _Jason was hanging from a cliff, missing a shoe, and Annabeth was on a chariot, offering a hand to him and muttering to herself about thinking Jason was Percy and getting her hopes up._

 _Piper was watching nervously from a side with Leo._

* * *

"That was not one of my best moments," Jason grimaced.

"Neither was it mine," Annabeth offered in compensation. "Sorry for how impolite I may have sounded."

* * *

 _"I would suggest a rehabilitation center for her kleptomaniac tendencies," a therapist was telling Tristan McLean as a younger Piper sat in a corner._

 _"How long?" Tristan asked._

 _"One and a half months, I would think," came the therapist's reply._

 _Piper got absolutely no say in the discussion._

* * *

"They were discussing about you like you weren't there!" Hazel protested.

"That's normal," Piper shrugged.

"What I would have done to have been ignored like that," Leo muttered wistfully to Percy.

Percy whispered something to Leo in return and the latter paled.

* * *

 _The interior of a large hall with about twenty kids was shown. The hall seemed generally homey. The scene then zoomed onto a specific table, where a younger Piper and three other kids were seated._

* * *

"Are those little Clarisse, Travis and Connor?" Annabeth asked incredulously.

Piper nodded. "Yeah, if you mean Clarisse la Rue, Travis Stoll and Connor Stoll."

"You knew them when you were younger?" Thalia added.

"We were in a rehabilitation center together. They were put in for fighting in public against each other, I was in for my apparently kleptomaniac tendencies," Piper shrugged. "Its sort of a follow up of my last memory."

"And this..." Leo muttered softly to Percy. "Is where we come in. Isn't it? If this is where and when I think it is, that is..."

* * *

 _Two boys entered the hall. One had curly hair and brown eyes and the other had messy black hair and had his eyes hidden under a hoodie._

 _A social worker there announced the two boys as new kids and allocated Travis and Connor to show them around._

 _They headed over to the table and everyone there introduced themselves first._

 _"Travis and-"_

 _"-Connor Stoll."_

 _"Clarisse la Rue."_

 _"Piper. I refuse to divulge my surname."_

 _The boy with curls for hair introduced himself in a whisper. "Hey, I'm Leo Valdez."_

* * *

"WHAT?!" Came the general response.

Piper snapped around to look at Leo. "How did I not recognise you at Wilderness School?"

Percy mocked coughed. "Maybe a major personality change?"

Piper blinked and thought back. "True."

"What will they think of little me?" Percy whispered to Leo, receiving a shrug from the latter.

* * *

 _"And I'm Perseus Jackson," the boy in the hoodie whispered, looking up and revealing his sea green eyes._

 _"Percy, for short," little Leo added quickly._

 _"No. Perseus," came little Percy's bland and unamused answer, as if they already had the discussion before._

* * *

"WHAT?!" Again, the general response.

Percy looked away sheepishly as the others started rapid firing questions.

"Why that argument of Percy and Perseus?" Nico.

"Why were you two at the rehabilitation center?" Thalia.

"You all knew each other before camp?" Frank.

"What's with the different personalities?" Hazel.

"What-"

"Questions will be answered when we reach our memories," Leo interrupted, sending a nervous glance at Percy, knowing the son of Poseidon's story was worse than his. "Especially if this goes where I think its going."

"We can answer a few," Percy shrugged nonchalantly though his eyes betrayed his nervousness. "Percy and Perseus... Leo was the one who started calling me Percy, I'd used Perseus up till then."

"Well, its kinda obvious that we knew each other before camp," Leo added. "And..."

"Eight years changes a person's personality," Percy finished, leaving no room for discussion as the memory continued.

* * *

 _The memory must have fast forward or something, since it showed them exchanging stories, more precisely, of what got them in the centre._

 _Piper told the others about stealing things. Travis, Connor and Clarisse took turns telling their story. The Stolls had stolen something from Clarisse, who retaliated with the only thing she knew, violence._

 _Leo muttered something about foster homes and runaways (which wasn't the truth, not like anyone knew) then glanced away nervously as the others shared pitiful glances. Percy mumbled something about blades and pills (that none in the memory heard but everyone else out of the memory did), then interrupted himself by saying things about liking his privacy._

 _Then the memory ended._

* * *

"Blades and pills," Jason deadpanned, looking at the son of Poseidon.

"Yes," Leo nodded grimly as Percy looked away, and no one liked how there was no sign of the mischievous grin that almost always framed the son of Hephaestus's face.

He knew something about Percy that everyone else didn't and everyone wanted to know.

Then, before anyone could say anything, the next slide came up.

* * *

 **Word Count: 966 words**

* * *

 _(A/N: I apologise for the slow update and poor content. My muse has been elsewhere. I simply cannot write as much for this anymore until I finish those two one-shot ideas. One humour for this fandom. This needs a lot a lot of research. The other... Uh... I guess it would be hurt/comfort for the other fandom. Its my first time writing that fandom and I want the one-shots to be perfect. Sorry! In conclusion, Facades may not be updated for some time until my muse comes back here after finishing the other two._

 _Peace!  
_ _Summer)_


	21. Ch21: Annabeth and Attacks

The next "victim" of memory exposure was Annabeth, who read aloud her own name slowly, as if tasting the words, as if not comprehending the idea of her memories coming out so soon. Then she shrugged it off, before freezing. She could have to see Thalia die all over again, she would most likely have to see _him_ again. _He_ had been such a big part of her life before everything had gone downhill and she would be lying if she said she didn't miss _him_.

She brushed off the worried glances Percy and Thalia were sending her, facing her memories with utmost confidence.

They're just memories, they shouldn't affect her that much. …Right?

* * *

 _"You don't understand!" A seven year old Annabeth was screaming. "The sp-spiders! They've been coming for the past few nights!"_

 _"So?" An Asian woman with red highlighted hair shrugged. "They're just spiders, nothing much."_

* * *

"Who's that?" Hazel asked.

"My stepmother," Annabeth shrugged.

* * *

 _"They're sp-spiders!" Annabeth insisted as if that meant everything (which it did to her). "And there's so-so many! They bite!"_

 _Her stepmother shook her head in exasperation and walked off._

* * *

"That was mean," Piper deadpanned.

"There was no proof," Annabeth retorted. "We made up anyways."

"Seven years later," Percy added helpfully.

Annabeth punched him playfully. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain. Explanation not required."

Percy sent her a wry smile for that.

* * *

 _It was darker now, and Annabeth was tossing things in her small bag, like a flashlight, a hammer, insect repellent, food stocks, water supplies, spare clothes…_

* * *

"You're running away," Leo observed lightly.

Piper smacked him upside on the headed. "Leo! Insensitivity!"

Leo huffed playfully and turned away, crossing his arms.

* * *

 _There seemed to be a fast-forward through time, because the next thing that was showed was at a dock of a loading bay._

 _A guy in blond hair slowly approached a piece of corrugated metal, with a girl with spiky black punk-style hair ready next to him, a shield and a spear in her hands._

* * *

"Luke," Percy and Annabeth breathed.

"Luke," Thalia and Nico growled.

"Thalia," Jason breathed, seeing what his sister was like long time ago.

"What does this have to do with you?" Frank asked Annabeth in confusion.

Annabeth wordlessly gestured at the scene again.

* * *

 _A hammer was hurtled at Luke's face but he fortunately-unfortunately dodged it. A flurry of blonde hair and flannel flew at Luke._

 _"Woah!"_

 _Luke dodged the hammer and grabbed the figure's wrist, which turned out to be Annabeth's wrist._

* * *

Annabeth sighed wistfully. "Got mugged by some people on the road, barely made it off with my hammer. Lost all my supplies. Thank the gods for Thals and Luke."

Thalia frowned in irritation and the thought of the old son of Hermes.

The next scene appeared on the screen.

* * *

 _"Thalia!" Annabeth and Luke screamed simultaneously as the younger version of the daughter of Zeus was struck down by the army of monsters. "No!"_

 _At that moment, a bolt of lightning came down and struck the teenage girl, causing Annabeth to screech in terror and horror._

 _And slowly, almost torturously, in Thalia's place, grew a tree._

* * *

"What was that?" Piper asked curiously.

"You mean they don't tell that story anymore?" Thalia asked, more towards herself than anything, before responding to Piper. "I nearly died but Zeus turned me into a tree to preserve my soul. ..Basically that's it."

Piper nodded in acceptance as another scene showed up.

The scene was short, but they didn't make it past the setting before Thalia and Percy went "Ooooh."

* * *

 _They were on a clifftop, with only a few people (monsters? Titans? Enemies? Traitors? Hostages?) on it, namely Atlas, Luke, two empousai, Annabeth and Artemis._

 _The Titan, traitor and monsters were discussing something, Artemis chained by they side, glaring furiously at them. Annabeth was holding up a swirling mass of cloud, braced on one knee, eyes closed and a streak of grey hair going down the side of it._

* * *

"Holding up the sky," Annabeth huffed in irritation. "That was torturous."

"…no kidding," Percy grumbled.

"I'm glad I didn't have to," Thalia maintained.

The next scene was much more cheerful.

* * *

 _The sun was bright and glaring. Soft waves were lapping against the yellow-gold sand… Basically your normal beach scene. A five year old blonde haired girl was sitting by a side, building a little castle out of sand. A boy with curly brown hair - Leo - ran up to her._

 _"That's so cool," the little boy gushed. "Can I help?"_

 _"As long as you don't mess anything up," the girl - Annabeth - replied, nodding in approval._

 _The duo continued building the sandcastle, and it was soon quite about half the size of the kids. Of course, being Leo and Annabeth, the two didn't stop there, designing a whole city, town, beachside and ship by the time the sun's golden rays were dipping over the edge of the horizon._

* * *

"That was a little excessive," Thalia observed almost motherly.

"Tell two little kids what else to do for hours at end," Annabeth grumbled. "Seriously. We were bored and needed something to do desperately. You can't seriously expect us not to do that, especially seeing its the two of us, son of Hephaestus and daughter of Athena."

Leo nodded almost eagerly. "What she said."

"Original much?" The son of Jupiter scoffed a little, nudging his best friend lightly on the side.

"Mean!" Leo wailed comically. "You're all bullies!"

* * *

 **Word Count: 918 words**

* * *

 _(A/N:This is terrible beyond myself. I'm due to do Hazel after Thalia which is next, and I still need to add one more. LY will be updated soon, and worse come to worse, I'll delay it a little._

 _Peace,  
Summer-Moon)_


	22. Status Update

I dunno about you guys, but I'm not dead. And uh... I did leave Facades for a year. Huh.

I'M STILL WRITING IT.

Just saying.

It's just...

Writing is hard sometimes.

I still have one more event for Thalia, then I can post it. Finally.

I. Should. Do it now. Huh.

Sorry.

Now's just. A bit of a bad time. It's been about a year since I tried to hang myself. I'm on meds, and well... it's not going too good.

Also being a senior in school is pressurising.

...This is why I shouldn't write in school. My chemistry teacher was talking about trucks of hydrochloric acid? I think I heard wrong. Whatever.

YAY.

And uh well,

Sorry.

Again.

-Summer


	23. Ch22: Thalia and Time

Thalia kinda expected her name to come up sooner or later. No matter what she said though, she wasn't prepared. She wasn't prepared to see Luke and not get to bash his head out, or even just communicate with him (yeah right). She wasn't quite sure how Annie made it through her clips. She had to do it though, she didn't have a choice. She'd rather do it earlier than drag it out - the suspense would have killed her. Rip it off like a bandaid, right?

Besides, it seemed Apollo was purposefully saving Percy and Leo till the last, just as those two seemed to know, with every glance they sent each other, every tight grasp they gave each other when they thought that no one was looking. Annie seemed to notice this too, her eyebrows furrowed in that adorable "I've nearly figured it out, shut up and let me think" look that she almost always had on.

…It was adorable, no matter how much Annie protested.

She grinned at Annie (her Annie, and no one else's) as the latter read "Thalia" out loud for the room to hear, and nodded, just in time for the memory to play.

.

 _"SHUT UP!" Younger Thalia screamed. "SHUT UP! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!"_

 _._

"What was happening?" Jason asked, eyebrows furrowed. Thalia frowned at the screen.

"I forgot, but I doubt it'd be very pleasant to know.."

 _._

 _She snapped her head around at the sound of a metallic snap-click. Her mother only in blood was in front of her, so that meant…_

.

Jason glanced away. Thalia glanced at him. Piper hid a chuckle.

.

 _"JASON! NO!"_

 _Little Jason was sobbing, a stapler bullet through his lower lip._

.

Jason looked skeptically at the screen. "Are we sure this isn't secretly my series of clips?"

.

 _Thalia gently confiscated the stapler from Jason. "No Jason, staplers aren't for eating, okay?"_

.

"Yeah Jason," Nico nudged teasingly. "Staplers aren't for eating."

Jason flushed red and hid his face in his palms. He heard someone coo and wasn't quite sure he wanted to know who that was. (It was Sarina, naturally. Or not. What's natural for a person you don't know [how to write]?)

The scene shifted from within the house, to an open field with beautiful greenery.

.

 _"Gone….? What do you mean he's gone?!" Thalia whisper-asked._

 _Her mother looked away. "Gone," she intoned blankly, emotionlessly._

 _"What do you mean he's GONE?! He can't just be GONE! He was just here not too long ago!" A flash of realisation washed over her face. "You killed him! You must have! That's the only way you could be so sure that he's gone!"_

 _Her mother still refuses to meet her eyes._

 _"How dare you!" Thalia screamed, eyes blazing, electricity cackling around her. "How DARE you KILL my baby brother?! HOW DARE YOU?! HOW DARE YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO DO SUCH A THING? I SHOULD KILL YOU, SLAUGHTER YOU, MAIM YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT WHERE YOU STAND. YOU'RE A SHIT PARENT, YOU KNOW THAT?"_

 _Her mother backed away slowly, hands raised in surrender. "Thalia-"  
_

 _"DON'T 'THALIA' ME!"_

 _"Let's talk abou-"_

 _"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH. I'M LEAVING."_

 _Thalia stomped off, then turned back. "Oh yeah, congrats on losing two kids on the same day."_

 _She didn't look back._

.

Thalia didn't look up until the end of the clip. Everyone else didn't say a word, eyes glued to the screen due to the sheer intensity of the scene.

"Thalia…" Jason whispered, and put a hand on her knee in a comforting manner.

Thalia finally looked up, tears in her eyes, arms spread open. "Come here Jase."

Jason willingly embraced his older sister.

The embrace lasted half a minute, and when they let go, Thalia looked at the others and snapped for them to look away.

Nico and Percy snickered at the Graces' red faces, much to said siblings' mortification.

"Shut up," Thalia growled.

Naturally, they didn't.

.

 _They crashed. That was literally the scene the viewers were thrown into. Black, blue and blond crashed together in a tangle of limbs and clothes._

 _"Watch where you're going, asshole!" Thalia snapped._

 _"Jesus, someone's on her time on the month today," the blond haired boy she just crashed into replied snidely._

.

"Is that….?" Jason asked.

Someone nods an affirmative.

"He looks an awful lot like me…"

.

 _Thalia was looking over the boy, an almost pained expression on her face._

 _"Checking me out?" The boy asked haughtily. Thalia slapped him. Hard._

.

Thalia seemed amused at her previous self's behaviour. Annabeth was outright laughing.

.

 _"You wish," Thalia huffed. "Just… reminded me of my little brother. You look like him. Blond hair, sky blue eyes, that facial structure… the deal."_

 _The boy looked over Thalia. "And you sure you're his sister?"_

 _Thalia looked away. "Yeah. Though we look nothing alike."_

.

Frank nodded. "Looking nothing alike is about right."

.

 _"You seem cool," the boy shrugged and offered his hand. "I'm Luke Castellan."_

 _Thalia looked at the outstretched hand cautiously, then shook the hand. "I'm Thalia."_

 _"No surname?" Luke asked, an eyebrow raised._

 _Thalia thought again, though it didn't take too long. "Nope. I'm just Thalia."_

.

"Never thought he'd become a maniac hellbent on wracking havoc on the world…" Thalia grumbled to herself.

Piper giggled, thinking about how it would sound out of context. Probably like a flashback-y start to an adventure story from the protagonist's point of view.

.

 _Thalia was running. One foot in front of the other, kicking up grass as she weaved in between trees. Her bow was out and ready to shoot, silver quiver slung behind her back._

 _"Lady Artemis? Phoebe?" She called out, only to be met by only the constant pitter patter of her feet._

 _Her steps slowed to a stop, and she leaned against a tree, taking a few deep breaths._

 _"I'm lost," she told herself, then laughed. "I'm LOST!"_

 _A few birds were startled out of their perches, and took off into the air._

 _._

"Really Thalia?" Percy asked, eyebrow raised, unimpressed.

"Shut up," Thalia growled back. "Like you wouldn't have done the same."

Leo snickered to himself, anticipating what would come next.

 _._

 _Thalia rubbed her forehead and sighed. "I can't believe I'm lost. Come on Thalia, you know you're better than this."_

 _"Better than what?" A curious voice asked, coming from the branches above her._

 _._

Thalia turned around to Leo. "It was you!"

"What was me?" Leo asked, an innocent grin spread across his face.

"You!"

 _._

 _She startled, and shot an arc of lightning at the source of the voice. The was a rustle before the voice came from another tree, and Thalia knew she had missed._

 _"That was rude," the voice replied, sounding slightly disgruntled and barely winded._

 _"Who are you?" Thalia demanded, the string of her bow taut and ready to fire._

 _"I should be asking you that," the voice countered, ever so nonchalant. "You stormed into the forest, and caused a ruckus, then threw a lightning bolt at me!"_

 _Thalia furrowed her eyebrows. "…You… have the Sight?"_

 _"Evidently?" The voice responded, curious. "I mean, I can see, can't I?"_

 _"No. The Sight. Not sight."_

 _._

"Best explanation ever, Pinecone Face."

"Shut up Kelp Head."

 _._

 _There was a moment of silence._

 _"Nope. No idea what you're talking about."_

 _There was another moment of silence._

 _"So… You wanted to get out of here?"_

.

The screen flicked to the next slide.

"That was abrupt," Frank commented.

.

Word Count: 1255 words

.

 **(A/N: OKAY. I KNOW ITS BEEN FOREVer AND A HALF. I HAVE REASONS. AND I ALSO FORGOT SARINA EXISTS. AND I FORGOT WHAT I WROTE. BACK TO THE POINT.**

 **I'm done. Huh. I'm finally done with this chapter. I can't believe it's been a year.**

 **I'm Sorry**

 **-Summer)**


End file.
